So Scary!
by MileyLoonaticsFan96
Summary: Three new kids join the cast of the show...but what secrets are they hiding? And what about Chad? And what's so special about Sonny and the others that would make them targets of an evil cult?
1. New CastMates

So Scary!

Chapter 1: New Cast-mates

**Normal POV**

Sonny Munroe, Tawni Hart, Nico Harris, Grady Mitchell, and Zora Lancaster were in the prop house at the studio for their TV show, _SO RANDOM!_ Sonny was reading a magazine on the couch. Tawni was looking at herself in a compact mirror while she was sitting on a lone chair. Nico and Grady were playing video games together next to Sonny. And Zora was in her sarcophagus.

Their producer, Marshall Pike, walked in just as Sonny finished her magazine. "Good news, kids!"

"My shipment of Coco Moco Coco lip gloss came in?" Tawni asked, hopefully.

"No," Marshall said.

"We're finally going to do the sketch of the toilet playing video games?" asked Grady, just as hopefully as Tawni.

"Again, no," said Marshall.

"You finally found the contest winners?" asked Sonny.

"Yes, Sonny!" Marshall said, "Finally, one of you guessed right."

"You called the contest winners?" asked Nico, pausing the game. Zora came out of her sarcophagus, Sonny dropped her magazine, and Tawni put away her mirror.

"Yes, all 3 of them," said Marshall, "Apparently, they all happened to know each other. Their coming through the gate right now and they're going to be on the show with you next week, and most likely every week after that."

"So when do we meet them?" asked Zora.

That's when they began to hear the voices. 3 voices, in fact, arguing with each other, 2 girls and 1 boy.

"Here they come now," said Marshall, "Kids, I'd like you to meet your new cast-mates."

In came the 3 kids.

One was a girl who looked about 16. She had dark brown hair and sky blue eyes. Her skin was a pale beige. She was wearing a hot pink T-shirt with a drawing of a white French poodle on the front, a brown sweater tied around her waist, a black skirt that reached just below her knees, and a pair of glittering silver flip-flops.

The next was a 14-year-old girl. She had strawberry blonde hair, cookie dough brown eyes, and cream skin with pink undertones. She was wearing a dress with 7 diagonal stripes running around it (each in a different color of the rainbow) and black and white tennis shoes.

Lastly was a boy of 12. He was a brunette with green eyes and skin that was slightly tanned. He was just wearing a plain black top, a pair of worn-out blue jeans, some orange-tinted white sneakers, and a chain hanging around his neck was a plastic shamrock as a charm.

"I'll just let you kids get to know each other," said Marshall, leaving the room.

"Hi," said Sonny, standing up and going over to the kids, "I'm Sonny Munroe." She held out her hand.

"Hi, Sonny," said the 16-year-old girl, shaking her hand, "I'm Veronica Field."

"I'm Eliza Janice," said the 14-year-old girl, "if anyone was wondering."

Tawni got up. "I don't think I need an introduction, but who cares? I'm Tawni Hart."

"And I'm Nico," said Nico, "and this is my best pal, Grady."

"Hi," said Grady.

"I'm Jonathan Landers," said the boy, "But everyone calls me Johnny." Veronica and Eliza both glared at him. "OK, my mom and these 2 call me that." Veronica and Eliza nodded.

"And, last but not least," said Zora, "I'm Zora."

"So, anyway," said Sonny, "welcome to _SO RANDOM!_ I guess, I'm not the new girl anymore."

"No, there are 2 new girls and a new boy," Veronica said, crossing her arms, "So, what are we going to be doing?"

"Well, I think a tour is in order," Sonny suggested, "First things first, this is the prop house where we keep all the props that we use in the sketches and hang out after the show."

The group went around the set. Finally, they came back into the prop house.

"And now we're back where we started!" Sonny said.

"So, where are our dressing rooms?" asked Eliza.

Sonny stopped smiling. "About that…we only had one room left and we're using that for storing the sets we're not using so…you guys are going to have to share with Zora and the maximum capacity of the dressing rooms is 2."

"Don't worry," Eliza said, "I can make it work. I'm great at maximizing space."

Tawni came forward. "And, just a warning, there's-"

"Hey, Randoms."

Sonny rolled her eyes and turned to face her arch-rival. "What do you want, Chad?"

"Just thought I'd stop by to insult you—who are your friends?"

Sonny looked at the 3 new kids and then glared at Chad again. "This Veronica, Eliza, and Jonathan, our new cast-mates."

"Oh, great, now there's 8 of you to call number 2!"

Veronica glared at him and he could've sworn he saw her eyes flash red. Eliza tapped Veronica on her side, getting her attention so that she could shake her head at her.

"Well, I've gotta go rehearse," said Chad.

"And I think we do, too," said Sonny, crossing her arms at him.

"OK, fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

"GOOD!"

"GOOD!"

Chad left.

Veronica blinked at Sonny. "What was that?"

"That was Chad Dylan Cooper, the star of _Mackenzie Falls_," Sonny said in a mocking voice, "We can't stand him or his show."

"So stay away from him?" Eliza asked.

"Pretty much."

_No problem there, _Eliza thought, _I know what he really is…_

**Chad's POV**

Is it me, or is that Veronica girl a—No, it's not possible. Is it? I mean…I haven't seen anyone like her around here in years. I don't know what I was sensing from her…

And I'm not too certain about those other 2 either. What's up with them?

Anyway, I come back onto the set of my show. I start rehearsing with the others. For some reason, all I can think about was those 3 new kids…and Sonny.

**Sonny's POV**

Zora was dressed up for the sketch. She had on the typical suit and glasses. She was sitting down on a chair and flipping through the pages of a book.

I watched from the sidelines as Eliza thanked her for helping her clear her name.

"…If it weren't for you, I'd probably be in trouble for stealing candy from that baby."

Zora put down the book and stood up. "No problem. 'Cause I'm…" She took off the glasses and looked into the camera. "…Sally Jenson, Kid Lawyer, and I FIGHT FOR YOU!"

"And cut!" Marshall came up. "Great rehearsal, kids. The show on Friday is definitely going to be a hit."

Nico ran up. "Guys! They're showing a re-run of last week's show!"

"And that's important how?" Tawni asked.

Nico dragged us over to the TV.

…_And be sure to tune in next week when we'll announce the 3 winners of the 'Be on _SO RANDOM!_' contest and stream live their TV debut!_

"Wow," Veronica said, "They're really hyping us up, aren't they?"

"Well, one new cast member was a big deal," I said, remembering my TV debut on the show, "I can imagine 3 contest winners being big."

Jonathan was over by the door. He peeked through it… "Pst!" Veronica and Eliza turned to look at him. He pointed outside at the sunset.

Veronica looked back at us. "We have to go. We'll see you tomorrow!" She and Eliza and Johnny sped out.

What could be so important about the sunset that they would leave?


	2. Secrets

Chapter 2: Secrets

**Veronica's POV**

I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep secrets from them. But how was I going to tell our new friends about me and Eliza and Johnny? I couldn't! For 3 reasons:

They would never believe us.

We couldn't tell them anyway.

It's too long a story to explain.

But what about that Chad guy? Is it possible that he's really one of them? No, it can't be! I haven't seen one of them in 20 years! Uh oh. Slip of the tongue. Now I have to explain:

Yes, I am 16…because that's how old I was when I was turned. I am a Vampire. I was born in 1762, almost 250 years ago. When I was 16, a guy came along. He showed up at night. He told me things I wanted to hear. Eventually, I, being an orphan, found out that he was the Vampire that had killed my parents and sister. I tried to leave him, but he pulled me back in…and sired me on a full moon. I was a killer after that. With no soul, a Vampire is a demon. With a soul, like I am now, they're the same person they were before they were turned…except they drink blood and are immortal. I was a killer for nearly 150 years before I met my match. I killed a girl about my age. Not just that, but I sired her. Her sister found out, staked her, and cursed me with a soul. She didn't just give me a soul, she took away my tears. And my sleep. I couldn't cry or dream. I didn't know why she had extended the curse's power like that until I found out what she was. I'm getting to that. I spent the next century in remorse…until about 15 years ago. Eliza came along. I still remember that night…

*** Flashback ***

_New York City…_

_Christmas, 1995…_

Snow flooded down from the sky. I was alone in an alleyway. My hair was dark and ratty. I hadn't done anything to help it in almost 30 years. My clothes had gone unchanged for 15 years. If I could cry like the mortals and other soulful Vampires, I would. I was about to start looking for something wooden so that I could stake myself when I heard something. I looked over to the other side of the alleyway to see a mouse coming out of the sewer grate. I got down on all-fours and started to inch toward it when…

"Is this what they've reduced you to?"

I turned to look at the mouth of the alley and saw Eliza there. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to help." Eliza knelt down and let the mouse crawl into her hand. "Poor thing. I can't believe the jerks who did this."

"What are talking about?"

"You don't know? About the girl that did this to you?"

"I did this to me."

Eliza let the mouse crawl back into the sewer. "It's their job to ruin the lives of people like us."

I looked at her. "'Us'?"

"I'm a Witch. I just turned 13 a couple months back…on Halloween. I'm going to be 14 in 2009."

I understood Witch years. I'd learned about those 45 years before that night. They aged 1 year every 14 human years. By then, she'd be 182, just a few decades younger than me. Yeah, I'm good at math. "Who are these 'they' you speak of?"

"The Hunters. The men and women born with the mark of the Shadow. They despise magical beings like you and me. They hunt us down…and kill us. Unless they have purpose to torture us. Like they did to you and that mouse."

"The mouse?"

"That mouse was a human being once. A Warlock. But the Hunters didn't believe he was human. They tracked him down. He cursed one of their families…and they transformed him into a mouse. He can't access his powers and change himself back. He's stuck like that until they see fit to turn him back."

"And what about you?"

Eliza clasped one hand over the other over her heart. "I died once. They killed me. They don't know my grandmother brought me back and gave me the power of Knowing. She's been hiding in Europe for nearly 200 years now." She put her hands down. "There's one other person out there who knows our suffering. He's a Werewolf. His name is Jonathan. In the year I'll turn 14, he'll be 75. When he was my age, 13, I mean, he was bitten and began to transform. On one of the full moons, he killed one of the Hunters' siblings, like you did, and they tortured him. He turns every night now."

I stood up. "How is it that we've all killed their family members and never one of them?"

"Because only mutants can kill them. Mutants who didn't inherit or gain their powers but earned them. That's why the Hunters kill mutants, too, they don't know who's who."

I looked down at my feet. I could feel the tears I'd been forced to suppress for 100 years welling up inside me, but they simply would come out. It stung my eyes to think of it. "Take me to him."

"What?"

"The 3 of us can fight the Hunters together. We can bond together and find these mutants and they can help wipe out the Hunters."

"OK. But you must make one promise before we go through with this crazy idea of yours that may risk hundreds of lives: you gotta drink blood from the butchers and stop eating off mice."

"Deal."

*** End Flashback ***

That night sealed both our fates…correction: all 3 of our fates.

And now the sun was setting and we had run out on our new friends to go lock Jonathan in a cage. Since I couldn't sleep, I would guard him all night. Eliza would go back to our dressing room on the show and cook up a spell.

We had only entered that contest to test her theory: that she would be able to cast a spell on the crowd so that we'd be able to see if any of them were the mutants we were looking for.

Eliza cast a spell on the dressing room, too. But I'll go into that the next day.

Eliza locked the door to the cage in the castle she'd found abandoned downtown for us (why nobody else ever found it, I'll never know). Anyway…

**Jonathan's POV**

"I hate the Hunters. I hate the Hunters. I hate the Hunters-"

"Jonathan!" Eliza snapped at me, stopping my rant, "We'll get the Hunters soon enough. My heart will beat again until I'm really meant to die. Veronica can sleep and cry. No rhyme intended. And you can be the normal Werewolf you were meant to be."

"That's just the thing, Liz," I told her, "I don't want to be a Werewolf at all."

"It's too bad," Veronica said, "You can't go back to normal now. You've already been bitten. Have been for nearly 65 years."

"V, I-" I couldn't say anymore. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

Veronica looked at the window across the room. The sun had finished setting. I was transforming. Eliza hated to watch the transformation and scurried out of the room the second she saw that the sun was down. If I could run, too, I would.

I fell down on my knees. The pain was the same every night. _Wizards of Waverly Place_ was so off on the change being fast and painless. Justin was way more accurate. My hands grew fur, my nails elongated and turned yellow, my teeth grew into fierce fangs, and I could feel my eyes turn from green to red…before I blacked out…

**Veronica's POV**

I watched him all night. I kept a tranquilizer gun at my side in case he broke out. Finally, I looked out the window and saw the sun coming out. I hid in the shadows to keep out of the sun and let Jonathan turn back.

After about an hour, Eliza came in. "Come on, guys, we've gotta go to the set." She tossed me my sweater.

See, she'd enchanted the sweater. It would enable me to walk around in the sunlight without bursting into flames. On warm days, I'd wear it around my waist, and on cool days, I'd just wear it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't keep me off the Hunters' radar. No magic could accomplish that.

I put on my sweater around my waist and went over to Jonathan's cage to unlock it. We went to the set just in time to run into Sonny, Grady, and Zora.

"Hey, guys," Sonny said.

"Hey, Sonny," I said.

I don't remember how our conversation got so messed up, but Eliza eventually walked off with Grady and Jonathan with Zora.

"So how are you doing today?" asked Sonny, turning around to write something in a notebook she was carrying.

"Oh, fine, I guess…" I didn't say much else. I could hear her heartbeat. That slow steady sound I hadn't listened to in years. I hadn't fed off a human since the night that Hunter bewitched me…that craving was dwelling inside me like a bee to its honey. I silently sniffed her. Her blood was coursing through her like a river (I'm also clever at similes). I felt the hunger swell till my throat ran dry and I knew I needed blood. I leaned in close to her neck…

"By the way…" Sonny twirled around, making me step back in surprise before I could feed. "What are you doing?"

I decided to play it cool for now. "Nothing."

I could tell Sonny was going to ask me something again. Lucky for me, she dropped her pencil.

I seized the opportunity and ran off. I couldn't believe it. I had almost fed off human blood!

**Chad's POV**

I can't believe I did that! Sure, I proved that girl was a Vampire, but in the process, I almost let her feed off Sonny! Not that I care, but…it's my duty to keep those creatures away from their prey. Now…what am I going to do about those other 2?

I'm in my dressing room. I flip through a book. I'm trying to find something that'll help me with these 3. Wait a minute…why would they be here in LA?

**Veronica's POV**

OK, remember how I was talking about Eliza enchanting the dressing room? Well, there's a door next to Jonathan's part of the room that only the 3 of us can see. I made my way into the dressing room after my incident with Sonny, looked around to make sure Zora wasn't there, and then walked through the door.

On the other side of the door was a huge room. It was like an alternate dimension. The ceiling was over 15 feet above my head. And Sonny and I are the tallest on the cast! The room itself was dark because the only light was a "sun" in the center of the ceiling that Eliza had zapped up. There was no window and there was a spare cage for Jonathan in case we ever didn't have time to run back to the castle at sunset. There was a desk on one wall right next to a fridge (we hadn't had time to load everything into the room when the others weren't looking).

I walked over to the fridge, opened it, and removed a packet of pigs' blood. I put on my game face and dug my fangs deep into it, sucking the blood out and drinking it. I couldn't believe I'd almost fed off Sonny! What if the others found out?

* * *

OK, OK! I stole Veronica's story (well, most of it) off of Angel, but after watching that show it's hard to come up with a reason why a Vampire would fight on the good side! (Plus, Joss Whedon is a genius!) Anyway, I hope you like the story and please keep reading!


	3. Revealed

Chapter 3: Revealed

**Eliza's POV**

I enjoyed hanging out with Grady. We talked for about an hour in his dressing room. He's so funny! Finally, the only thing I hadn't told him about my life was the whole 196-year-old Witch thing.

"You know, I like you!" Grady said. I smiled. He got up from his seat (a bean bag chair and I was sitting on the other). "Well, we better go get ready. The show starts in a couple hours."

Uh oh. I'd forgotten the spell! "Uh, I have to go." I ran out and into my dressing room.

**Grady's POV**

You know, I don't why I followed her. Somehow, I convinced myself to go after Eliza, and I peeked through the door to her dressing room to see her walking through the wall! "What in the world?"

**Eliza's POV**

"Veronica?"

V turned to look at me. She was sitting at the desk in the secret room with a glass of pigs' blood next to her.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked her.

"Uh…" Veronica scooted the glass of blood away. "No reason."

I put my hands on my hips. "You almost fed, didn't you?"

"No…maybe…kind of…yes!" V got up. "I don't know what came over me, but I was talking with Sonny and…I started to hear her heartbeat and…"

"Whoa, wait…were you listening for her heartbeat?"

"No, I'm off human blood, remember?"

"Then why would you hear…" I then realized what had happened. "One of the Hunters is here."

"I knew there something I didn't like about that Chad guy."

"Whoa, we don't know it's him. Look, I'm casting the spell now. Tonight, as soon as the spell hits the audience, we'll know if any of them are the mutants we're looking for, whether or not their power has been activated already."

"We'd better hope one of them is," V said, "With as much power as _one_ of them has, I doubt _one_ Hunter is going to be a problem."

**Sonny's POV**

OK, first there was Veronica's deal this morning, and now Grady had us collected in the prop house because he'd seen Eliza walk through a wall! What was up with these kids? And why was Jonathan so…"protective" of them?

Finally, Veronica and Eliza walked in.

"What's going on?" Veronica asked.

"I think we need to tell them, V," Jonathan said.

"Tell us what?" I asked.

"We can't tell them!" Eliza practically shouted, walking over to him.

"Fine, I'll do it," Jonathan said, "We-"

"OK!" Veronica said, "We can tell them." She sat down. "Look…this may be hard for you to believe, but…I'm a Vampire!"

We were all shocked by that and sat there in silence for what felt like centuries for me before Nico and Grady finally burst into laughter.

"You actually think that-" Nico stopped and started laughing again.

Veronica looked at him and then she transformed. Her face became distorted and her eyes were golden instead of white.

Nico and Grady stopped laughing and started screaming. They both tried to run away and bumped heads with each other instead.

Veronica turned back to normal. "Relax, I have a soul, I don't drink human blood."

"OK…" Grady was trying to catch his breath, so he didn't say much else.

Veronica rolled her eyes. She then proceeded to tell us about how she was over 200 years old; how she had killed a girl and that girl's sister had enchanted her so that she not only had a soul and conscience, but also the inability to cry or sleep; how Eliza had come along and told her about how she was almost 200 years old and her heart couldn't beat; how some cult-like group called the Hunters was trying to kill them; and how Jonathan was a Werewolf who transformed every night instead of just the full moon.

"Wow," I said when she was done, "That's…an amazing story, I mean…that's really true?"

"I told you they wouldn't believe us," Eliza said. She looked at Zora, pointed at her, and Zora turned into a mouse. Eliza pointed again she changed back.

"Wow," Zora said, "That was amazing! Do it again, Witch-y!"

"So, these mutants you speak of are what you're looking for here so that you can get rid of these Hunters?" Tawni asked.

"Yes, we just got through explaining that!" Veronica practically shouted, "But Eliza cast a spell so that we can see any of the mutants we're looking for if they're in the audience, whether or not their powers have been activated."

Boy, was that the night of my life. I never expected that the mutants they were looking for would be closer than they thought…

**Eliza's POV**

The curtains opened. Sonny was on the stage for a "Sick-y Vicky" thing. I glanced out at the audience looking for the glimmer of a mutant soul. The audience's laughter resounded in my ears like the buzzing of a bee (Veronica's not the only one who's good at similes). Finally, the sketch ended and I felt the presence of 5 of the mutants we were looking for. I looked out into the audience…wait…all of them had already laughed at the sketch! Who would-

That's when I turned around. The glimmer was showing in our 5 cast-mates as they laughed at Grady (he was even laughing at himself, hence the fifth glimmer)! SONNY MUNROE, TAWNI HART, NICO HARRIS, GRADY MITCHELL, AND ZORA LANCASTER WERE THE MUTANTS WE WERE LOOKING FOR! OUR NEW BEST FRIENDS HAD UNACTIVATED POWERS!


	4. Coming

Chapter 4: Coming

**Sonny's POV**

"What do you mean we're the mutants you're looking for?" I exclaimed. There's no way the 5 of us were these super kids that V, Liz, and Johnny were looking for (and, yes, we were all now using their nicknames)! It was commercial for the show and we were all back in the prop house, getting ready for the next sketch.

"I mean you're the mutants we're looking for," Eliza explained, "The spell I cast was supposed to show a yellow glimmer for the activated mutants and blue for the un-activated mutants when they laughed. Neither showed themselves to me in the audience but all 5 of you shone blue when Sonny came off stage and Grady started kidding around."

"So, what are our powers?" asked Grady, eagerly.

"The spell can't show me that, but each one of you is likely to have about 10 powers."

"10?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, 10!"

"Let's hope that's enough to help us with the Hunters," said Veronica, "There's one here."

"Who is it?" I asked out of curiosity.

"And now, let's get back to _SO RANDOM!_"

"No time, gotta run," Eliza said, rushing out.

We did the next sketch (Sally Jenson, of course) and about 3 others before we finally ended the show. Since the sun was going down, Jonathan had to race out with V and Liz, leaving me to only ponder about who this mysterious Hunter was.

**Eliza's POV**

There's no way we could've seen it coming. As soon as we left the studio, we ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I immediately apologized.

"That's OK," the guy said before starting to walk off.

I wouldn't flinch. I'd seen the mark of the Shadow on the palm of his hand.

After a few seconds, he whipped around and, in one rapid motion, ripped off the branch of the nearest tree and threw it at V.

Veronica ducked just in time. With that, a battle ensued.

**Grady's POV**

We were getting ready to leave the studio and go home, once again all cracking up at each other (this time because of Sonny). As soon as I opened the stage door, we all stopped laughing at the sound of a shriek.

"Eliza?" I ran out and saw then fighting a guy who was dressed…weirdly. He had on a red and black cloak.

Veronica saw us first. "Get out!" She turned back to the guy who was obviously a Hunter and turned into her Vampire form and jumped at him.

Sonny ran over to the guy. "We're not leaving! We're going to help!" She pulled V away and kicked the guy in the face.

The Hunter just pulled away and grabbed Tawni (who had been dumb enough to run up next).

Tawni reacted by punching him in the nose.

Zora ran at that guy and knocked him down.

Nico and I looked at each other and shrugged before screaming and running at the guy.

The Hunter knocked us all back, making us each slam into a different tree.

Eliza looked suspicious of something… "Tawni!" Tawni desperately looked at her. "What would you say if I told you he was going to kill you?"

Tawni whimpered and then screamed. She screamed so loud it hurt my ears like…well, I think it would've injured a deaf guy 1000 miles away. When she realized what was going on, she stopped screaming. "What just happened?"

V smiled. "Your powers have been activated! You helping us was the act that activated your powers!"

Sonny smiled widely and tried to figure out what her power was. She looked at the tree she was on and ripped it from the ground! She swung it at the Hunter and knocked him into the studio wall.

Nico and I looked at each other again. He looked at the guy to see if anything would happen. I started moving my hands around. Finally, Nico hit the guys with his laser vision and I summoned up a water ball and launched it at the guy. My attack didn't really do anything besides get him wet, though.

Zora held out her hands and waited for something to happen. "Come on! Why can't _I_ do anything?" It was then that lightning bolts started to form in her hands. "Cool!" She launched out a wave of electricity at the guy.

Jonathan ran over to her. "Keep going! Maybe you can electrocute him!" He didn't say anymore before dropping to the ground. "Oh no."

Veronica pulled him away. "Someone run to the castle and get the tranquilizer gun. Now!"

"Castle?" Tawni asked.

Sonny glared at her. "I'll do it." Suddenly, she was gone. And then she reappeared with the gun V was talking about in her hands. She didn't realize what she'd done until then. "Oh my…I have super speed, too!"

"That better come in handy," V said, blocking Jonathan from our view. Suddenly, a wild dog knocked her down from behind.

Sonny aimed the gun and fired, knocking Johnny out, of course.

Zora watched all this happen and then went back to electrocuting the guy. Finally, she got tired and gave up.

The guy was obviously very weak, but not dead.

**Zora's POV**

I was panicking. I couldn't keep trying to electrocute the guy if it wasn't going to work! I started panicking even more when he got out a knife! I yelped, closed my eyes, and held my hands out in front of me, hoping something else interesting would happen…but nothing happened. Wait…nothing happened! I opened my eyes and saw the knife floating in midair in front of me. I waved my hand again and the knife flew into the guy's chest, piercing him in the heart and killing him. Finally!

Eliza smiled. "I don't believe it! It worked!" She looked at us. "You guys are more powerful than you know now. That glimmer I was talking about earlier? It's showing brighter now…and it's yellow and not blue. You guys are not only our new best friends, but we're trusting you to keep our secrets…and in return, we get to be a kind of superhero team and stop the Hunters, and any demons and such that come along, from hurting any innocents."

Sonny and Tawni looked at each other and shrieked.

"Don't hug me," Tawni said before Sonny could launch herself on her.


	5. More than Frenemies?

Chapter 5: More than Frenemies?

**Normal POV**

_5 months later…_

As Eliza had suggested, the 8 cast members of _SO RANDOM!_ had become a superhero team. Of course, as Grady later suggested, they all had to pull a comic book move and come up with secret identities. Tawni was so absorbed in the fact of getting extra publicity under another name that she didn't even think about whether or not she'd look stupid in the costumes until they actually started getting into that (they did have the costumes from the Loser Force 5 sketch, but since everyone had seen that already, it wouldn't really conceal their identities). Anyway, they did all eventually figure out what the teams' powers were:

Sonny (Mystic)

Psychic (seeing the future)  
Super speed (running fast)  
Super strength (lifting heavy stuff)  
Calming (tranquilizing people, which came in handy with Johnny)  
Light mimicry (turning into a ball of sunshine, which came in handy with Vampires)  
Wall-walking (walking up walls)  
Telepathy (mind-talking)  
Illusion (showing people stuff that isn't there)  
Heart (giving immortality to the things she loves the most)  
A life for a life (giving life to a dead or dying person in exchange for someone else's death)

Tawni (Queen)

Sonic screech (ear-piercing/deafening scream)  
Appearance altering (changing the way she looks)  
Body switching (switching 2 people's bodies)  
Star-o-kinesis (taking stars from the sky and turning them into weapons)  
Hypnotizing beauty (making a guy think she's pretty and using that "love" to control him)  
Healing (rejuvenating other people)  
Sound sensing (sensing where a sound is coming from)  
Shields (creating force fields and such that can keep her and others from being harmed)  
Focus attraction (drawing attention to a specific item, place, or person)  
Memory-scanning (scanning people's memories through touch)

Grady (Lizard) [I don't know why he chose that name, but it probably had something to do with #2]

Wings (growing wings that can be used to fly)  
Chameleon (turning different colors to match his environment)  
Elemental (controlling the elements: water, fire, earth, and air)  
Intelligence (being super smart)  
Wish-granting (granting wishes)  
Cooking (calling forth food)  
Animation (bringing drawings, inanimate objects, and cartoon and book characters to life)  
Toontown (throwing pies at people, which was his favorite)  
Detection (sensing life and power)  
Speed-reading (memorizing books through touch)

Nico (Sting-ray) [The name was his idea]

Laser vision (shooting lasers out of his eyes)  
"All you can eat" (eating through anything)  
Summoning (calling forth animals)  
Conjuring (calling forth weapons)  
Skeleton Key (opening locks through touch)  
Optional breathing (living with or without breathing)  
Save (saving life like a game)  
X-ray vision (seeing through things)  
Night vision (seeing things perfectly in the dark)  
Pyrokinesis (manipulating fire and creating fireballs)

Zora (Astral)

Electrokinesis (controlling lighting and electricity)  
Telekinesis (moving objects with her mind)  
Sight (seeing anything that's going on anywhere or that went down in a specific place)  
Transformation (turning into different animals)  
Time manipulation (turning back time or glancing at the future)  
Lie detection (feeling when someone's lying)  
Personality splitting (splitting someone into 2 different people, 1 vulnerable/good and 1 strong/evil, who would both die if 1 died)  
Penance (making others relive their sins)  
Astral projection (sending her spirit somewhere else while she's asleep)  
10 plagues (sending any of the 10 plagues of Egypt on any person of her choosing)

Eliza, Veronica, and Jonathan also got themselves some nicknames: Magician, Lifeblood, and Wolfgang, respectively.

Anyway, the gang was having their weekly sleep-over in the prop house.

Veronica walked into the prop house complaining, not about how she couldn't sleep, but how terrible the studio tap water tasted (which is odd considering how Vampire taste buds tend to not work).

"Here, I'll help," Zora said. She waved her hand and Veronica's bottle of water turned to blood. "1st plague…'And the water turned to blood and the fish died and the river stank.'"

"I didn't need the quote, but thanks," Veronica said, starting to drink it.

Grady groaned. "I'm so hungry. Oh, wait a minute…" He snapped his fingers and a cookie appeared in midair. He snatched it and began to devour it. He then noticed Nico's look. "Oh, sorry, buddy." He snapped his fingers again and another cookie, exactly like the first, originated next to Nico.

"Thanks, man," Nico said.

"Guys, it's almost midnight," Sonny said, "Let's just get some sleep." She pulled herself into her sleeping bag and everyone else (except Veronica and Jonathan, of course, Jonathan being locked in a cage and Veronica being unable to sleep) did the same. But Sonny had a dream vision that night that started the course of changing their lives forever…

**Sonny's POV**

Now before I tell you about my dream, I have to rewind a few hours. Just before dinner, Chad had come up to me in the hallway.

"What do you want, Chad?" I asked.

"Well…I kind of…wanted to ask you out."

My eyes widened. We hated each other…4 out of 7 days of the week! Now he was asking me if we could be more than…frenemies? "Are you serious?"

"As I'll ever be."

I smiled. "OK then. I'll just…not tell the others and we'll hang out on Friday."

"Perfect. See you then." With that, he'd left.

I smiled. Oh, yeah, it was like a dream come true…oh! You're talking about my dream _vision_! Right!

Anyway, it had to be one of the strangest dreams I'd had yet…

_We were fighting a Hunter in the studio. Tawni opened the studio door and used her star-o-kinesis to bring down some star-blades and threw them at him. He dodged them…and then someone came up behind him and stuck a sword through his heart. He fell to the ground, obviously not dead, and revealed a girl standing behind him._

_The girl looked about Veronica's age (I mean, the age she was turned, not the age she was at the time). She had dark brown hair, grayish-blue eyes, and paler skin than V. She sure seemed like a demon to me._

"_Uh, Zora?" I asked, "Mind splitting her here?"_

"_I can't!" Zora said, "She's got no good or vulnerable!"_

"_Wait…how did you-" I looked at her and saw that her eyes had turned completely white. I turned back to the others and they were all gone. "GUYS?" I spun back around to face Zora in time for her to dig her nails deep into my chest and pull my heart out. Strange thing? It was still beating and I was still alive. She handed my heart to the demon girl, who now revealed herself as a Vampire and bit into it, sucking all the blood out. I looked in the nearest mirror and saw that my face was now distorted and wrinkled and my eyes golden, like Veronica's Vamp face. All of a sudden, I couldn't move._

"_You think you can defeat me?" the demon girl asked me, standing behind me, "You think you can stop this? The earth is crumbling." Suddenly, the studio started shaking. The lights were falling from the ceiling and the sets coming apart. "This is all _your_ fault. You brought me here. It's because of you that I am free. And for that you will pay dearly. It'll cost you your life soul, friends, family…everything. For I am destruction. I am your worst nightmare. I am everything you ever feared. I am Xendalla and you. Shall. FALL TO ME!" With that said, she snapped my neck._

I woke up and screamed. I could hear Jonathan rattling his cage in the lair. I could just barely see Grady and Nico fall off the couch. Finally, the lights turned on.

"Sonny, what happened?" Zora asked.

"Are you OK?" Eliza asked, coming up next to me, "What'd you see?"

I just looked at her, too scared to speak. My dream visions had never been that fierce before. Don't get me wrong, I screamed after every one and they were the only times I ever woke up screaming nowadays…but that was by far the worst one yet. I just couldn't let it come true.

**Connie(Sonny's mom)'s POV**

I was sitting in a dream specialist's office. Sonny had been having these dreams for a while now and I was determined to help her. "…She's been having these dreams since the first night she performed with her new cast-mates. Almost every night, she wakes up screaming from the craziest dreams and she won't even tell me what they're about!"

"Well, maybe I can help her," said the dream specialist (a guy, in case you didn't guess that, just thought I'd tell you), "You just have to get her in here."

"I hope I can even talk to her. She's always hanging out her friends."

Luckily, Sonny did come home that night just an hour after sunset…but she came home with the craziest story…

* * *

OK, time for my first challenge! I made up some of the powers I gave the _SO RANDOM!_ gang. I made up 2 for Sonny, 2 for Tawni, 3 for Grady, 1 for Nico (this one goes credit to LUUErocks, thank you!), and 4 for Zora. Pinpoint which one each made-up power is and send me a personal message with your answers and your real first name (but not your last name, I'd be invading your privacy) or the name you wish you had that you wanna go by on the site or something like that. The person of the first 5 to send their guesses that gets closest, wins the prize and gets their name in one of my stories, of their choosing. Good luck!


	6. I'm Not Telling!

OK, no entries in the contest yet. For those of you who read the last chapter before I replaced it, please go back and read the author's note at the bottom now. Thank you!

Chapter 6: I'm Not Telling!

**Sonny's POV**

"Sonny, I need to talk to you." Those were the first words my mom said after I came home. Those words haunt me even now. I hate that night more than any other I've ever experienced. Worse than when I was kicked out of the Blossom Scouts.

"What is it, Mom?" I asked as I sat next to her on the couch. Another huge mistake, because this allowed her to take my hand, which she only does when she has bad news. Granted, she does it occasionally for no reason, but she holds my hand more firmly then…or is it the other way around? Anyway, I regretted sitting next to her.

"Sonny, I went to see a dream specialist. I think he can help you understand these weird dreams you've been having."

"What?" I jerked my hand away. "Mom, I understand my dreams perfectly."

"Then why won't you tell me about them?"

I then panicked and started to casually scoff and think up an excuse. "You mean I don't?"

Mom looked at me. "Sonny…"

"OK, OK!" I sighed. Veronica continuously told us about how one of us would eventually have to tell our parents. I, in that one moment, decided to be the first one by explaining it to my mom. Which was the biggest mistake of my life! I should never have assumed she would believe me! Let me just explain what happened. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you…my dreams are visions. I'm seeing the future." At that comment, Mom looked at me like she was looking at a monkey riding a unicorn in a tutu (I'm not as good at similes as V and Liz). "I'm psychic. I'm a mutant. Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora are, too."

"Sonny-"

"Mom, let me finish." I sighed and then explained to her about Veronica being a 240-year-old Vampire, about Eliza being a 200-year-old Witch, and about Jonathan being a 100-year-old Werewolf. I even stretched so far as to tell her about the Hunters. "…So that's it. I don't need any help from a dream specialist. And even if I did, he wouldn't understand the point of the dreams. Only we understand them. So now you know."

Mom just stared at me, speechless for a little bit. "Wow, I…I can't believe this."

"I know, I was shocked, too."

"No, I mean, I really can't believe this. Sonny, are you feeling OK?" She started to put her hand to my forehead but I pushed it away before it could make contact.

"Mom, are _you_ feeling OK?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting kind of weird."

"_I'm_ acting weird? Sonny, you're speaking crazy-talk!"

"I'm not crazy, Mom! I can prove it!" I got up from the couch and turned into my signature ball of sunlight, which hurt Mom's eyes slightly. I turned back after a few minutes and walked up the wall so that I was hanging from the ceiling. _Do you believe me now, Mom? _I sent out through my telepathy powers. I saw the shock on her face and knew that something was up…

**Connie's POV**

I can't believe I did it! I just knew that this…thing hanging from the ceiling was not my daughter! I got up from the couch and turned away from her. "Get out of here."

"What?"

"You heard me, leave."

Sonny dropped to the floor, landing on her feet. "Mom, I understand it's a big shock at first, but-" I didn't see it because I was still facing away, but I heard the couch being lifted and felt Sonny touch my shoulder. "You gotta understand that I'm still your daughter, even if I'm a little different than 5 months ago."

"'5 months'?" I faced her then. "This has been going on that long and you didn't say anything?"

Sonny grabbed my arm and I started calming down. "Now, do you believe me?"

"Just get out," I said, not as angry as before but still meaning it.

Sonny looked at me one last time, her eyes welling up with tears, and then walked to her room, grabbed a few things, and walked out.

"Bring my daughter back while you're at it," I said to no one, not realizing that it was really her and too scared to admit it if I did.

**Veronica's POV**

I was watching Wolf Jonathan in the lair as always when I heard a knock at the door. I went over to the door and opened it, revealing Sonny on the other side, carrying a suitcase with her. "Sonny? What are you doing here?"

Sonny just walked into the lair and laid the suitcase by a bed. She'd laid in there for about 10 minutes when Nico and Grady came in to hang out with me while Jonathan was in Wolf mode and got tired. She then flopped herself on the bed and I could just barely hear her crying. I went over and calmed her down. She explained to me what had happened, how her mother had kicked her out upon receiving knowledge of her mutant-ness. The story was so sad that I would've cried if I could.

"Sonny, I don't know what to say. I don't think there's anything I can say. Actually, I…never knew my parents that well. I was kind of little when they died."

Sonny started crying again. "My dad died when I was 14." She smiled. "I got my sense of humor from him."

"In that case, I wish I could've met him." I looked at the clock hanging on the wall and checked the time. Just after midnight. "You need to get some sleep. I need to watch Jonathan." That's exactly what we did. About 7 in the morning, the studio opened and the sun rose, turning Jonathan back to normal and allowing Eliza and the rest of the gang to rush into the lair early to check on us and hear Sonny's story.

"That's terrible!" Eliza said to Sonny, "If I'd known that something like that was going to happen, I never would have let you tell her!"

I turned her attention to me. "I was pushing. You were against it 85%."

She looked at me for a few seconds. "So?"

I gave her a look.

Sonny got off the bed (finally). "Well, I guess I'm gonna be living here now, or possibly even with you 3. I just can't live with my mother anymore."

"Hey, in 2 years, you'll be able to take care of yourself," Nico pointed out.

"Yeah," Grady added, "And you can drive!"

"I can do that now," Sonny corrected.

"Oh."

Just when Eliza was about to say something, the computer we'd hooked up in the lair to warn us about any threats started beeping. She went over, hit a button, and the screen showed a picture of a plant-like monster. "OK then, monster. Let's mount up." She turned and noticed that Sonny had already used her super speed to take off her clothes and reveal a red, purple, and black jumpsuit.

Sonny pulled a plastic mask covered in glitter in her 3 signature colors (red, purple, and black) from her pocket and put it on while Nico and Grady were wrestling out of their pants.

Eliza finally zapped the 2 boys.

Grady was instantly in his blue, yellow, and black jumpsuit and tie-dye mask.

Nico was instantly in his red, orange, and brown jumpsuit and tie-dye mask.

Tawni unbuttoned her top and pulled down her skirt and was instantly in her pink, purple, and green jumpsuit. She pulled down her headband and it turned into her glitter mask (Eliza had enchanted it).

Zora yanked off her clothes and emerged in her white, grey, and cyan jumpsuit. She pulled out her glitter mask and put it on.

Liz, Johnny, and I looked at each other and put our hands together, instantly emerging in our simple track-suit-like outfits. Mine was red (I was wearing my sweater underneath it), Eliza's was yellowish-white, and Jonathan's was brown.

"Man, these superhero costumes are itchy!" Grady complained.

"Get over it, and fly!" Nico urged him.

Grady looked at his best friend and then bent his knees enough to get some thrust. Out of his back emerged 2 white angel wings. He instantly started flapping them and flew off through a hatch in the roof.

Zora turned into an eagle and flew after him.

Nico conjured up a flying disk of some sort and jumped onto it.

Sonny ran up the walls (combining her speed and wall-walking).

Tawni used her force field to fly her up in the same style as Nico.

Liz, Johnny, and I looked at each other, shrugged, and hit a button which launched down a rope ladder.

Eliza had enchanted the hatch so that no one who passed through it could be seen for 5 seconds after using it. And it sure worked when we got going and the Warriors (Grady's idea for a team name (why he named us after a basketball team, I'll never know)) set out to fight the monster.

**Connie's POV**

I cancelled the appointment with the dream specialist. I then turned on the TV to get my mind off of Sonny. Of course, the Warriors were off fighting another monster and had shown up on a live newscast.

"_This just in. The Warriors, the super team known as the protectors of LA, have just come across another fight. Let's go live now to our helicopter cam…_"

I picked up a glass of water and drank from it. Then I noticed that Mystic sure looked a lot like Sonny…and noticed her using the same powers Sonny had demonstrated to me. I choked on the water and spit it out. Sonny was Mystic! Her friends were the other Warriors. Her story was real! I'd kicked out my daughter! I'D KICKED OUT MY DAUGHTER? "Oh no…" I picked up the phone and dialed Sonny's cell phone number. Of course, she'd turned it off to go to battle. I hung up and instantly began to think of ways to make it up to her, which I knew I never could…

**Chad's POV**

If you think all that's exciting, wait till you hear my story!


	7. First Date

Still no entries for the contest. If you still haven't read about it, please go back to chapter 5 and read the author's note at the bottom.

Chapter 7: First Date

**Sonny's POV**

Veronica was the only one I trusted enough to tell about my date with Chad. That's what I did immediately after we finished fighting the monster. I pulled her aside and told her all about it.

"WHAT?"

Yeah, that wasn't my best decision ever.

"You're dating Chad?" Veronica ranted, "How could you?"

"Relax, I just need to-"

"Cancel it! Right now! Call him and dump him!"

"Whoa! V! Why are you-"

"He's the Hunter, Sonny!"

My eyes widened. Uh oh. Now I had to back out of it. But I think I was in love with Chad! How could I dump him now?

**Chad's POV**

I'm sensing something about Sonny. I think I'm in love with her! But there's something else…I think the Hunter in me is acting out. But that Veronica girl is the Vampire, so Sonny can't be one. I just know it. However, those 2 are kind of chummy. Aw, well. I'll just focus on getting ready for the date for now. I'll ask her on the date if there's anything she has to say. If she's a monster, I'll find a way to help her. If I'm really just in love with her…I hope she likes me back…

**Sonny's POV**

I didn't have the heart to dump Chad. I got into the limo with him at 7 and we went to the restaurant. But when we got there…

"Sonny!"

We both whirled around at the door and saw the rest of my gang assemble behind us.

Veronica came up to me. "What're you doing! We don't trust him, remember?"

"You're one to talk about trust!" Chad snapped. He looked at me. "Brace yourself, Sonny, she's a Vampire!"

"I know that!"

"What?" everyone said.

"How can you give us away like that?" Veronica asked.

"How can you be friends with a Vampire?" Chad asked.

"You may not trust him, but I do," I told Veronica. I turned to Chad. "She's got a soul, Chad!"

Chad stared at her. "Oh."

"Sonny, V already told us he's the Hunter!" Nico said.

"What?" Chad said, "I'm not a Hunter. I've got Hunter blood, my parents were Hunters."

"Huh?" we all said.

"Well, see, Hunters always marry regular humans," Chad said, "so that the legacy can continue, but my parents were both among the ranks, so I didn't fully inherit the gene."

V, Liz, and Johnny all looked at each other. "Oh…"

"So you're not going to try to kill us just because we have the ability to kill your family?" Tawni asked.

"TAWNI!" V, Liz, Johnny, and I all scolded her.

"Wait, you 5 are virtuous mutants?" Chad asked.

I looked at him and sighed. "We're the Warriors."

Chad snickered. "That's you?"

"What's so funny?" Nico asked.

Chad was hunched over laughing. "You…You're—HA HA HA!"

"Chad-" I started. He interrupted me with another burst of laughter. "Chad, I'm Mystic! My mother kicked me out last night and I'm not in any mood to deal with this, so I will grab a light pole, uproot it, and beat you with it right now if you don't shut up!"

"I'm good!" Chad quickly recovered. He went into the restaurant.

Nico laughed. "You handled that really well, Sonny."

I glared at him and followed Chad. I stopped him in the hall. "Chad!" He looked at me. "I apologize for my friends and my threat. I told my mom about my powers the other night and she didn't react well. My friends all thought you were going to kill us. And to top it all off, I had a vision the other night of a strange girl attacking us. I told Eliza all about it but she didn't understand the dream."

"Well, tell me, maybe I'll understand it."

I looked at him. "How about this? If my friends back off and we can get through the night without any trouble, I will tell you all about my dream and you can try to interpret it. If not, you'll have to figure out yourself."

Chad smiled. "Alright then."

I went outside and I talked the group into leaving. Chad and I had a great time at the restaurant. After we did that, we went to a movie (a comedy I really enjoyed) and he took me back to the studio.

"So…" he said, "the night went well. What about that dream of yours?"

I half-smiled at him. "OK, here's what happened…" I told him everything about the dream: the fight with the Hunter, the strange girl killing him, the rest of the team disappearing except for Zora, Zora turning on me, and the girl making me like a Vampire and killing me.

Chad stared at me after I revealed the name of the mystery girl. "Xendalla? Are you sure that's what she said?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Sonny, she's dangerous…she's the daughter of the god of shadows and the goddess of mind. A mere look from her could give you paranoia and physical confrontation could result in becoming her slave…or worse."


	8. Rising

Whoa, it's been months since I updated! I am sorry it took so long, I had such horrible writer's block! Don't worry, I'll try to update sooner. Hope you still enjoy the story!

Chapter 8: Rising

**Normal POV**

A young man in a cloak and hood ran through the forest that night. He was running from a wolf. Jonathan had transformed almost immediately after the group had left the restaurant and none of them had been able to stop his rampage before he went running off. Now his wolf self was attacking a boy in the forest not far from the studio. The boy eventually hit a dead end and looked at wolf Jonathan, who growled at him. He narrowed his eyes and…threw a stick? Jonathan, like any dog would have, chased after it. The boy looked around the little closed-in clearing and then up at the sky. It was a new moon. He pulled his hood down to reveal his dark hair and bangs and white eyes and pale skin. He looked at the pile of leaves in the center of the clearing. He pulled out a pouch and started sprinkling dust on the leaves, chanting in an ancient language.

Suddenly, the leaves started swirling around the air. Clouds appeared in the sky out of nowhere and thunder struck, regardless of the lack of rain. Once the boy stopped chanting, it all stopped…and a hand reached out of the leaves, digging itself out to reveal another hand, and then the rest of…the girl from Sonny's dream.

The boy knelt down. "Mistress, it is I, Roland. I've resurrected you like you wished-" It was then that Xendalla started to strangle him.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked in a raspy, Ghost-like voice.

"You asked me to, Xendalla."

Xendalla looked around the forest and up at the moon. "What year is it?"

"2010."

Xendalla glared at him. "You waited 1000 years for this?"

"Mistress, I am and ever shall remain your faithful servant. I will do whatever you ask me-"

"Good." Xendalla snapped his neck, killing him. "I asked you to raise me after 100 years, you simpering moron!" She held out her hand over his heart and sucked out his soul before it could leave his body. She closed her eyes, savored the moment, and opened them again to look around…again. "I suppose I can make do." Her voice was now normal, like in Sonny's dream vision. "I'll just have to find someone of power." She closed her eyes and listened.

"_I still can't believe Sonny would go out with Chad!"_

"_Tawni! Our main concern right now is not that, but finding Johnny!"_

"_Wow, Zora. I didn't think you would…wait, are you into him?"_

_Zora scoffed several times. "Yeah, right!" A few more scoffs. "V! I wouldn't…OK, maybe a little."_

Xendalla smiled and quickly opened her eyes. "This Zora…I can sense her power…I shall make use of it." She headed for the studio.

**Veronica's POV**

Before we could get back to the studio, Jonathan showed up in wolf form and jumped us, knocking Zora to the ground.

_SONNY! _I cried out in my head, hoping her telepathy would catch on.

**Sonny's POV**

I was still reeling over the information Chad had given me when I heard Veronica crying out for me. I ran for her and Chad followed. I found the gang fighting wolf Johnny. I quickly ran over there and grabbed his tail, using my power of calming and making him drop down as though he'd been hit by the tranquilizer gun. "That was…freaky."

"Jonathan's a real werewolf?" Chad asked. We all nodded, wondering how he didn't know that already. "But it's not a full moon." Oh. I get it.

"He was cursed by one of the Hunters," Eliza explained, "He changes every night."

"Actually, they got all 3 of us," Veronica said, "But that's a story for another time."

Zora sighed. "I'll put him in the cage in the lair. You guys…talk amongst yourselves." She dragged Johnny's unconscious wolf body off.

**Normal POV**

Zora came to the entrance of the studio after she dropped off Jonathan and started to leave…when Xendalla stopped her.

"Are you Zora?" she asked.

Zora looked at her. "Yeah, why?" She started to leave.

Xendalla stopped her again. "I need your power."

Zora started freaking out. _Does she know that I'm Astral? _"What are you talking about?"

Xendalla smiled. "Let me put it this way." She grabbed Zora by the neck and lifted her up, starting to choke her.

_If only I were Nico right now. I can't believe I just thought that!_

"You're my ticket to reclaiming my world. Give me your power!"

Zora tried to use her powers, but found that she couldn't under Xendalla's grip. "I…" she managed to choke out, "…think…you're evil."

"I'm not surprised. After all, I am."

"This…isn't…your world then. I'm not…giving you…my power."

Xendalla sighed. "Alright. Plan B." She pushed her fingernails into Zora's chest. Zora tried to scream with pain, but her voice was gone entirely. She found herself thrashing and flailing until finally she stopped moving entirely. Xendalla took her hands off Zora's lifeless body, dropped her to the floor, and started chanting. After a couple seconds, Zora's eyes opened to reveal that they were entirely white, like in Sonny's dream vision. Xendalla smiled. "I may not have more power, but at least I have a faithful servant once again."

Zora looked at Xendalla and her eyes returned to normal. "Who are you?"

Xendalla smiled again. "Xendalla, the true ruler of this world. Or at least I will be once my full power has been regained. And you are going to help me get it."

**Veronica's POV**

Allow me to pull you into a sideline story. This thing with Sonny and her mom has brought back some memories of my family.

*** Flashback ***

_Somewhere near Dublin, Ireland…_

_1774…_

My sister, Grace, and I were playing Rummy in the living room of our old cottage on a valley field (our family were farmers). Grace was 14 at the time and I was 12. It was starting to get kind of late.

I had about 3 cards left so I made my move: I picked up one and laid down my set and discarded. "I win."

Grace scoffed. "We'll just see about that." We counted up the score. "125."

I stopped smiling. "90."

"Ha-ha." Grace started shuffling.

"I'm beginning to worry about Mom and Dad," I said.

"Relax, Shannon," Grace said (yeah, my old name is Shannon), "I'm sure they're fine."

Of course, it was then that a scream resounded from the fields, shocking Grace into dropping the cards all over the floor. We looked at each other, got up from the floor, and ran out of the cottage. We found our dad in the field.

"What's going on?" Grace asked him.

"I don't know," our dad answered, "I think there's something wrong with your mother, but I can't seem to find her."

"We'll help you look, father," I said, dragging Grace off. The 2 of us plowed through the field until we found our mother…lying dead on the ground. Grace dropped to her knees, the tear welling up, and bent over our mother's body. I then noticed that the neck was bloody and had 2 puncture wounds. I heard a rustling sound. "Gracie, we have to get out of here!"

"No…"

"Gracie!" I started to pull her away.

"No!" Grace started weeping.

Suddenly, the Vampire appeared. It was too dark for me to see what he looked like, except for the eyes. I backed up until I was hidden…inadvertently giving him a chance to kill Grace. This time, it was my turn to weep. About an hour of tears later, I realized that the Vampire was gone and went to look for my father, only to find that he was dead as well.

_4 years later…_

I was sitting at a table in a kind of restaurant in a town not that far away from where I grew up.

After a few minutes of my awkward silence, my best friend came up to me. "Get out."

"Good evening to you, too, Merry," I said, sarcastically, using her ironic nickname.

Maryanne glared at me and sat down next to me. "I mean you need to go somewhere. You spend too much time cooped up, especially in the past 4 ye-" I looked at her and she realized her mistake. "I-I'm sorry, Shannon."

"It's OK," I said, "I need to get over it."

"Is that why you're dating Mr. Out-After-Dark?"

I glared at her and then thought that over. "Maybe." I walked out. On the street, I looked at the full moon.

"Hey."

I turned to look at Aidan. "Hello."

Aidan went over to me. "Could you quit the whole 'good-and-proper' act?" He stroked my hair.

"No, I can't. I can't do this."

"Don't worry. I can take anything you throw, trust me."

I took his hand. "I do. I trust you." I shouldn't have trusted him. That was my biggest mistake ever.

He smiled. "Close your eyes."

I did. Next thing I knew, there was a sharp pain in my neck. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker until I felt my heart slowing. He stopped and I opened my eyes to see that he was a Vampire, but I was too weak to react. Finally, he took out a knife, sliced his own neck, and made me drink the blood.

_The next night…_

Aidan walked up to my gravestone as I was rising. "Welcome to my world. It hurts for a while, I know. But not for long." He helped me up. "Birth is always painful."

I looked at him. "While I slept…I could hear them walking above me. I could hear their heartbeats. Smell the blood pumping, coursing through their veins." I smiled. "Was it a dream?"

He smiled again. "A dream for you, Shannon. Soon…their nightmare."

"You know what? Don't call me Shannon. Call me…Taya."

"Oh…'valley field' 'cause you grew up on one. Nice."

"Oh, and, uh…one more thing…" I punched him in the face. "That's for killing my family." I ripped a branch off of a nearby tree and staked him with it, making him turn to dust. "And _that's_ for killing _me_." I dropped the branch and walked away.

On the way out of the graveyard, I came across the groundskeeper. "Hey! What are you doing here? Visiting hours are dawn till dusk-"

I morphed. "Shut up." I grabbed him and took my first feeding. "Oh, I love this."

*** End Flashback ***

**Sonny's POV**

Everyone, except for Zora and Chad, was in the lair watching Johnny.

Then Zora walked in. "Grady, I need to talk to you."

"OK, but, uh, wha—" Before he could finish, Zora dragged him out of the room by his shirt.

I ignored this, dismissing it as natural Zora and Grady behavior, and went to sleep…having a vision of exactly what was going on at the same time in the hall…

_Zora pulled Grady out of the room and into the hall. "I need to tell you something."_

"_Oh! I get it! It's a joke, isn't it?"_

"_I need you to give up your power."_

"_Yeah, I don't get it."_

"_That's the thing. You _don't _get it!" Her pupils and irises disappeared. "She does!"_

"_Who—OK, Zora, now you're scaring me!" He backed up into the wall._

_Zora snapped her fingers and Xendalla snuck up behind him. "Fine. Let's try this a different way. NOW!"_

_Xendalla pressed her fingernails into Grady's chest, just above his heart. He was thrashing and flailing for a second…and then calmed down to reveal that his eyes were completely white._

_Zora smiled. "That's better."_

Naturally, I woke up and screamed.

**Normal POV**

Zora's eyes turned back to normal when she heard Sonny's scream. Xendalla pulled Grady away by the arm and Zora ran after her until they were out of the way.

**Sonny's POV**

Eliza ran over to me when I'd calmed down. "What'd you see?"

I looked at her. "I think this thing is already out there…and it already got to Zora and Grady."


	9. Beginning

Chapter 9: Beginning…

**Sonny's POV**

"That's ridiculous!" Tawni told me.

"I know, but it's true," I said, getting up, "I just saw it all and it felt like the present and not the future."

"Exactly what is this thing?" asked Eliza.

"I don't know, but…it took over their minds. And their eyes looked like Zora's did in my dream-vision, all white."

"Well, how do you know you understood it right?" asked Veronica, "I mean, your dream-visions tend to be a little prophetic."

"No, it…I felt it. It was happening right outside this room. I'm sure they're gone by now, but…"

"Well, isn't that convenient," said Tawni.

I glared at her. "Tawni, this is serious! I mean…the Hunters are trying to kill us all, my mom's kicked me out of the house, and now this…thing has come along and taken control of Zora and Grady!"

"Fine, you know what?" Tawni started to leave. "I have enough power to deal with this. I will take care of it. I will scour this place up and down until I find Zora and Grady."

"Tawni, you can't—how do you know you're strong enough to handle this thing that just came out of nowhere and took over our friends' minds?"

"I can handle it! The moon is up, I have the stars on my side. And my sonic screech. And my shields." She left.

"Taw—" She was already gone. I sighed. "I was trying to tell her. Chad told me the other night that…Xendalla is the daughter of the god of the shadows and the goddess of mind. A mere look from her could make you go insane and physical confrontation could result in being her slave…or worse."

**Normal POV**

Tawni walked into her dressing room. "Last stop." She looked around. "No one here. Ha! I told Sonny there was nothing to worry a—" She lurched forward and fell over the chaise. She turned around and saw Xendalla fall on the chaise. "Who are you and what are you doing in my dressing room?"

"My name is Xendalla. I'm here for you."

Tawni stared at her, her eyes widening. "Wow, Sonny was actually right. Uh oh." She started to run, but Xendalla grabbed her by the throat and pulled her down to the floor.

"You know," Xendalla said, "ever since I rose, I have been getting such a powerful vibe from this place—9 different people with extreme power. And you appear to be one of them."

Tawni smiled. "Well, duh." She then remembered she was talking to a bad guy who could take that power. "But I'm really not the one you want to be fighting…I—" She screamed, knocking Xendalla back. She quickly got up and started to run off.

Xendalla jumped up and pulled her down again. Before she could fight back, she grabbed her heart.

Tawni started thrashing and flailing until finally she stopped fighting back and opened her eyes to reveal that they were entirely white.

Xendalla smiled. "You're mine now…"

**Eliza's POV**

I don't really remember much that happened the rest of that night. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Johnny breaking out of his cage and knocking down V. Sonny and Nico weren't around. Zora and Grady were still gone. Tawni wasn't back yet. It was up to me. I called up the tranquilizer and prepared to shoot him. But he got it first. He stepped on it, launching one dart at me and one at himself.

All 3 of us came to just before sunrise.

Veronica groaned. "I guess that's as close as I'm gonna get to sleeping."

Johnny changed from his torn up clothes to an unbeaten outfit. When he was done, he looked around. "Where are the others?"

I looked around, too. "Sonny? Tawni? Zora! Grady, Nico! Nobody here. Where'd they all go?"

We all left the room and started looking around the studio. It was deserted. We finally ended up leaving the studio and looking around the park down the road.

Veronica checked to make sure her sweater was on tightly. "I don't see anybody here—" She sniffed the air and listened carefully.

"What is it?" asked Jonathan.

"I smell blood and I hear a heartbeat." She held up a finger to let us know to stay where we were and to be quiet. She started to walk off. She looked around a tree. Nothing. Then she stopped moving. 3…2…1… She whirled around in Vamp form to smack somebody—

"Whoa! Hey! It's me!"

"Chad!" V hissed, putting down her fist and going back into her human form, "What's wrong with you?" She made sure to keep her voice down, just in case. "You freaked me out! There's something out there…"

"I know. Sonny told me about Xendalla. When I went home and looked her up again just to refresh my memory, I found out that she had been slain by some mutant or something and claimed she would come back. But her raising ritual says that she needs the souls and power of mutants or other creatures to get her full power back. If she can do that, she'll be able to enslave all mankind and take over the earth for as long as she feels like before finally destroying it and even the Hunters wouldn't stand up to her. We can't let that happen."

"'We'?" asked Johnny, "What's with the 'we'?"

"You guys need my help here!"

"Yeah…" All 4 of us were knocked back by a bolt of energy. "…but it won't help." We all looked and saw Zora standing there…with her eyes entirely white. "Xendalla is just too powerful for you."

Chad got up. "Then why does she need you to—Zora?"

Zora smirked.

Chad looked at us. "Xendalla got to them! They're under her control!"

I looked at Zora and used my magic sight to reveal that she was indeed under a spell.

Tawni was not far away, leaning against a tree, her eyes also completely white. She laughed. "Oh, look. The Hunter boy thinks he can stop Xendalla."

Sonny pushed her aside, her eyes white as well. She looked at Chad and scoffed. "He can't do anything about her. He has no power. At least none strong enough to fight her."

Grady came up. You guessed it, eyes white. "Right, it's these 3 we need to worry about."

Sonny grabbed him by the hair and smacked his face against the tree trunk. "Now that they've heard you say that, they are!"

Nico walked up to them. I'm not even gonna say it. "Don't worry. They're not strong enough to fight us."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Xendalla walked up in front of them. "I'll deal with them."

Veronica laughed, nervously, as she got up from the ground. "Can-Can I just say one thing first?"

Xendalla cocked her head.

"RUN!"

All 3 of us (and Chad) jumped up from the ground and raced back to the studio.

Xendalla groaned. "Get them."

Sonny raced after us with super speed, but I was able to cast a spell to zap us off before she could find us. Unfortunately, she then proceeded to sweep the studio. BUT, fortunately, we were at Stage 2.

I sighed with relief once I realized we'd lost them. "We'll be safe here. Right, Chad?"

"Oh, yeah," said Chad, "This is the last place _Sonny_ would think to look for you guys, let alone Xendalla."

Chloe then came in and saw Chad. "Chad! Where have you been? We need to rehearse."

"Chloe, the sun hasn't risen yet." He then realized something suspicious. "Wait, the sun hasn't risen yet. What are you guys doing here?"

Chloe smiled as the rest of the _Falls_ gang came in. "About that—" She punched him, knocking him over and knocking the 3 of us down in the process. "Traitor! First, your slimy little parents leave the ranks and marry each other and have you…and now you're on the side of 3 of the very creatures that want us destroyed!"

"What are you talking about—" Veronica started to ask. Then she noticed something and pointed it out to Chad.

Chad then saw a mark on Chloe's arm and sat up. "You're one of the Hunters!" He saw the rest of them. "You all are! How on earth did I miss that?"

"Yeah, you'd think you would've gotten it after all these years working with us," said Penelope, "Just shows how much you're an idiot!"

I got up. "Look, we're not the bad guys here. We've already gotten our 'punishments' from your kind. But Xendalla has risen and taken control of the _SO RANDOM!_ cast. You guys can help."

"Help you guys?" Portlyn scoffed, "The Big Bad Wolf, the Wicked Witch of the West Coast, and Dracula, Jr.? Uh-uh. And that goes for you, too, Chad Dylan Cooper."

The 4 of us started to back away.

"Alright, listen, here," said Johnny, "Xendalla is a big problem. She's planning to take over/destroy the world."

"Nice try," said Devon, "Xendalla was supposed to raise 100 years after her slaying and it's been 1000. Even if her servant were still alive, he would never be able to—"

"Hold on a second," said Veronica, stopping the rest of us, "It's been 1000 years? That means she was out around the time of the Middle Ages. Who slew her exactly?"

"What does it matter?" asked Chloe.

"I'll tell you what it matters: according to that timeline, she would've been slain around the time of King Arthur. If she was pierced by Excalibur and still survived enough to allow herself to be raised again, her servant at the time would've automatically taken on immortality for her spell to continue. Hence, he would still be alive and she'd be the only one able to kill him."

Penelope jumped in. "Unless, of course, Merlin's bloodline was wiped out beforehand, in which case all spells cast in his time period—including slaying spells of that kind by the hand of Excalibur—would be null and void. And since the last known descendant of his bloodline hasn't been seen in over 200 years, she's automatically marked as dead."

"The last _known_ descendant," I spoke up. Then I realized something. _"Hasn't been seen in 200 years"?_ "What was her name?"

"What?" asked Chad.

"Merlin's last known descendant, what was her name?"

"Sophia Janice, why?"

Eliza slowly smiled. "That's my grandmother. She wasn't the last descendant. I am."

Chloe smiled. "Wow. Well, that means…" She pulled out a sword and moved to pierce me, but I jumped out just in time. "If Xendalla really has been awakened, the only way to get rid of her before she gets her full power back is TO KILL YOU!"


	10. Bad Guys Meet Bad Guy

Chapter 10: Bad Guys Meet Bad Guy

**Veronica's POV**

Chloe prepared to swing the sword again.

I jumped onto her and knocked her down.

She rolled over to look at me and her eyes widened upon seeing me in Vamp form.

"Can we try and solve this without the violence?"

Chloe grabbed the sword and shoved it in my stomach.

I pulled it out and the wound healed. "Or not." I tossed the sword to Chad and started to wrestle Chloe.

**Chad's POV**

I look at Portlyn and Penelope. "OK, look, girls. We can go about this like animals, or we can—" Portlyn punches me in the face. "Oh, you did not just smack Chad Dylan Cooper in the nose!"

"Oh, I think I did!"

"Oh, it's on!" I jump on her and knock her down like Veronica did.

**Jonathan's POV**

I glared at Trevor. "Alright, just hear me out here. Killing Eliza can't possibly be the only way to get rid of Xendalla before she gets her full power back."

"Trust me, it is," Trevor said, "And the only way to stop her _after _she gets her full power back is at the hand of the 'blood-demon born of a full moon.'"

Veronica got up. "What?" Before she could get any further, Chloe jumped on her, knocking her back down.

Trevor and I were suddenly in a fight.

**Eliza's POV**

That just left me and Devon. He moved to chop my head off with a sword (I have no idea where it came from), but I held up my hands to start a shield spell, which deflected the attack. I then conjured my own sword and held it up. It was pretty much a simple gold cutlass whereas he had a full silver blade, so adding on the fact that he was more skilled with his weapon while I had magic on my side, I'd say we were fairly evenly matched.

But before that fight could go too far, guess who showed up?

Sonny kicked the doors to the studio down, her eyes still completely white, and let the rest of the team and Xendalla into the midst of the battle between the Hunters and the supernatural kids.

Xendalla came forward. "Oh, look. A bunch of Hunters." She waved her hand and the Mack Falls cast was knocked back by a surge of energy. "I'll kill them later." She walked over to me and grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up from my feet and knocking my sword from my grasp before I could use it. The sword hit the wall and was un-summoned (or whatever the word is). She held her free hand out to keep Chad, V, or Johnny from getting up from the floor to save me. "So this is the mighty child of Merlin. What a let-down."

I guess it was then that Veronica noticed that Devon had dropped his sword when he'd been knocked back. She slowly began to inch her hand to it, fighting against Xendalla's spell.

I saw this, but still kept my eyes fearfully on Xendalla.

Xendalla kept her hold on me. "No matter. If am to survive long enough to conquer this world and destroy it…all I have to do is kill you."

"Not gonna happen."

Xendalla looked at Veronica.

Veronica had the sword and she flung it at Xendalla, piercing her in the leg.

Obviously, it didn't kill her or anything, but it hurt enough to get her to drop me.

I fell on the floor, caught my breath, and grabbed the sword from her leg.

The Hunter kids started to get up.

Xendalla noticed this and turned to her mind-slaves. "Kill them!"

Sonny raced to it first, obviously.

I reacted instantly and without thinking. As soon as Devon got close to me, I whacked him with the sword…unwittingly piercing him with it and Sonny behind him. I automatically pulled the sword away.

Devon fell to the ground.

Sonny, however, started convulsing.

Chad grabbed her as she fell. He examined the wound in her shoulder where I'd pierced her…and saw that it was healing.

Sonny's eyes snapped open. They were back to normal. She looked at him. "Chad?"

He smiled. "Sonny."

"What happened? Last thing I remember, I'd had a vision about…" She noticed Xendalla and screamed. "That's her!"

"Sonny, relax," Chad told her. He looked at me. "Mixing their blood with Hunter blood cures them!"

I smiled. I knew what I had to do. I used the sword and, as soon as Trevor got close, I drew Nico over and pierced them both. This way, we would be getting rid of Hunters and getting our friends away from Xendalla's spell. I let Nico get free and attacked Penelope with Tawni and Chloe with Grady. All that was left was Portlyn and Zora. But they weren't going after me, they were going after… "V!" I tossed the sword to her.

The sword flew through the air toward her.

She grabbed the hilt perfectly and pierced Portlyn and Zora with it. She handed it to Johnny, who started to fight Xendalla with it while Chad attended to the healing Randoms.

Finally, Johnny had Xendalla cornered and injured all over.

"My turn." I snatched the sword and pierced Xendalla in the heart with it. She collapsed. "Now it's over."

V, Johnny, and I helped Chad lead out Sonny, Tawni, Grady, Nico, and Zora.

**Normal POV**

Nobody noticed Zora's eyes turning completely white again…or Xendalla's eyes opening back in the studio…

Xendalla looked around and saw the 5 Mack Falls cast members lying on the floor, half-conscious. She smiled as all her injuries healed. "All I need is a good mutilation and this plan can go back on track." She cackled viciously…

**Sonny's POV**

A week later, everything was as it should be: our cast was happily reunited and didn't have to face any evil villains like we thought, Chad and I were happily together (although that was much to half my cast's dismay), and Mom and I were once again happily living together.

It seemed like all our troubles were gone.

Then she came back.

We'd just finished getting ready to start a show.

Chad came up to us. "Hey, Sonny."

I smiled. "Hey, Chad. How are things going?"

"Fine, except for this." He handed me a magazine.

I looked at the cover. "Mackenzie Falls_ cast found dead on stage. Murder!_" "What?" I asked. I looked at Veronica. "V, I think you guys' attack did a little more damage than we thought."

V snatched the magazine. "No. We didn't pierce them in a way that would prove fatal. Otherwise, you guys would be dead, too. Plus, they were just fine when we…forgive the pun…exited stage 2. This must have happened later that day."

"By who?" asked Tawni, "Xendalla's dead."

_"Are you ready to get So Random?"_

"Let's deal with this after the show," I said, leading the cast onto the stage.

_2 hours later…_

The show was over and the gang was strolling through the streets (the moon wasn't up yet).

The 9 of us were just walking along.

"I'm telling you guys," I was saying, "Something's up. I can feel it."

"Sonny, nothing's wrong," Zora kept insisting. That alone should've tipped me off. She'd never argued with my psychic abilities before.

"Zora, I know something's wrong. There's gotta be. It's never calm around here!"

As if in response to my statement, a guy went bursting through the window of a nearby shop. And guess who came out after him? Xendalla. 5 points for you.

Of course, everyone of us except Chad instantly raced into the nearest alleyway and changed into the Warriors.

Tawni/Queen held out her hands and 10 stars flew from the sky and turned into 5-pointed daggers and flew at Xendalla.

Xendalla, unfortunately, whirled around just in time to knock them all away and they "poofed" away.

I starting panicking. "Zora—" I turned to face Zora/Astral. She wasn't there. I looked back at Xendalla and lifted the sparkling mask covering my eyes to reveal the shock, fear, and confusion in them. "Oh no…"

Zora/Astral was standing next to Xendalla…her eyes completely white.

"We didn't knock Zora out," I said, "And we didn't kill Xendalla. She killed those 5 Hunters."

Xendalla smirked and attacked.


	11. This Means War

Chapter 11: This Means War

**Sonny's POV**

I used my speed and ducked out of the way of Xendalla's attack.

Xendalla landed on the sidewalk on her feet and turned into a snake.

While she was slithering off, I came up with a plan. "Split up! Lizard, Sting Ray, Queen, Wolfgang, you guys can take Xendalla. Magician, Lifeblood, you 2 and I are taking down Astral. You 4, hunt and destroy. The 3 of us, salvage/capture. Go!" We split up the way I'd advised. I grabbed Chad. "Can you help us? I mean, is there enough Hunter in you to—"

Chad, in response, kicked a nearby bench, breaking off blocks of wood. He picked up a sharp and pointy plank. "No problem."

I smiled and led him over to help me, Eliza, and Veronica fight Zora.

Unfortunately, Zora, her eyes still completely white, zapped me with a lightning bolt pretty early into the fight and the rest is all black.

"Mystic!"

I slowly opened my eyes to find standing over me… "Mom?"

Mom shushed me. "We're still on the street. Are you OK?"

I sat up, still sore. "I'm fine."

Mom moved on to the rest of the team, who were all also unconscious. "Come on, guys, wake up!"

I crawled over to her. "What happened?"

"You were fighting something and you got knocked out. All 7 of you."

I looked at her. "'7'? Don't you mean 8?"

She looked at me. "No. I counted."

I looked around and saw who was missing (besides Zora and Xendalla). "Where's Chad?"

**Chad's POV**

I wake up and find myself chained to the wall of a dark room. I look around and end up face to face with Xendalla. I start trying to run out but…chains.

Xendalla smiles. "Hello, Hunter."

"I'm not a Hunter!" I debate instantly.

Xendalla sighs. "But you should be. And I should be in the 12th century, not the 21st. And I should be ruling the world even now. I'm gonna kill your little Witch friend."

Of course I'm panicking by now! What else would I be doing!"

"There's supposed to be 2 people out there that can destroy me: a cursed Vampire sired under light of the full moon and a half-living Witch with the blood of Merlin coursing through her veins. Good thing it's just that Witch or I wouldn't be here, would I?"

Well, since both are out there, I would say that she would be. Too bad I don't know that at the time.

"Either way, I've got my much needed faithful servant, I've got a shot at taking down the earth to my power, and I've got the power of a Hunter."

That gets my attention. She's talking about me! "What?"

"Or at the very least, I have the blood of one. Yeah, it was because of the clan your parents belonged to that I'm here today. And now I get to get my revenge on them by taking out the son of 2. Yeah, I did kill those 5 other Hunters but it just wasn't enough. I need some human Hunter blood to round it up."

"Yeah, but…" I trail off and punch her in the face. I start trying to run again— "Stupid chains!"

Xendalla grabs the chains with one hand and my throat with the other. "You're gonna wish you'd never been born."

"You can't hurt me. You're not gonna waste my blood."

"True. But I know 1001 ways to hurt you that won't spill a drop!"

Gulp.

**Veronica's POV**

We were now collected in Sonny's apartment, explaining to Sonny's mom what had been going on and trying to figure it out ourselves.

"So let me get this straight," said Mrs. Munroe, "This Xendalla woman was an all-powerful bad guy in the days of Camelot but was slain by Merlin's bloodline and now has returned to take over/destroy the world and has Zora under her control and can only be killed by Eliza or Veronica?"

I made sure she had all the details correct. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"And now she has Chad captured," Nico said.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Grady asked.

"It's a VERY bad thing!" Sonny shouted at them, making them jump back.

"Wait," I said, something occurring to me, "Why would she capture Chad? What use is he to her? And why didn't she and Zora capture us as well or just plain kill us to get us out of the way? Is the human part of Zora showing or what? Something bigger must be going on here."

"Well, first things first, we need to ask ourselves the simple questions," said Eliza, "Like what her actual plan is. Obviously, she's reawakening herself through the power of human/Hunter souls and the servitude of mutants like Zora."

"Why would she need the power of others to reawaken the power she already has?" asked Sonny's mom.

Sonny scoffed. "Man, Mom, you really don't understand how the supernatural world works."

Jonathan nodded. "Look, regardless, we need to save Zora now."

"Not to mention Chad."

"I wonder what she's up to with them," said Tawni.

"I hope they're OK," I said, concerned.

**Chad's POV**

By now, I understand 437 of the mentioned 1001 ways to hurt me that won't spill my blood. 'Cause she's using all of them. And, yeah, they all hurt.

Xendalla is, at the moment, across the room from me, sitting on a stool. "See? You're no threat to me. And I can do whatever I want with you."

I gather myself enough to stand up to her. "Not for long. The Warriors are gonna find a way to defeat you."

Xendalla sighs. "You're a brave little guy, aren't you? You know what I can do to you and you still stand up to me and provoke me to hurt you more." She stands up. "But it feels like you're right. After all, that little Witch of theirs is the Merlin blood…" She trails off and snaps her fingers.

Zora comes in. Unfortunately, it's dark and my eyes are watery and sore so I can't tell where the door is.

Xendalla looks at her slave. "Go find your friends. Get rid of them. Or better yet, bring them here if you can."

Zora, eyes still entirely white, nods and then turns into a snake and slithers off.

Xendalla turns back to me. "Now…we still have some time to kill. What's say we pick up where we left off?"

**Veronica's POV**

I walked into the kitchen to find Sonny's mom cooking away. I walked up to her. "Something wrong?"

She looked at me. "No. Why would you think that?"

"'Cause there's a chicken in the oven and you're cooking anyway. That and the fact you're chopping that can of tomatoes without opening it."

She looked at the knife to find that she'd been chopping at an aluminum can with a picture of tomatoes on it. She sighed and put down the knife. "I know. I…I'm just…"

I nodded. "I understand." Sonny was her only child and she was out there risking her life every minute of every day. Then I thought about something. I'd only ever met Sonny's mom, Tawni's mom, Nico's dad, Grady's dad, and Zora's mom. I'd never met or even seen Sonny's dad, Tawni's dad, Nico's mom, Grady's mom, or Zora's dad. And I had heard from Eliza that most mutants usually have half-magic blood… I looked at Mrs. Munroe. "Forgive me for asking but…why haven't I ever even seen a picture of Sonny's dad?"

Mrs. Munroe looked at me. She sighed. "Get the others, I don't wanna have to tell this story more than once."

I started to respond but never got a chance.

It was at that exact moment that Zora jumped through the window and into the kitchen.

I grabbed Mrs. Munroe. "Get the others, now!" She nodded and raced out of the room. Once she was gone, I kicked Zora in the gut, knocking her back.

She recovered faster than she ever had when she was normal Zora. She backhanded me and knocked me down in a second.

I seized the opportunity to do a leg sweep and kick her in the ankles so as to knock her down.

Suddenly, one of the steak knives hit the ground an inch from her arm.

I turned to see Jonathan standing over us. "Little wide."

Zora suddenly grabbed my foot.

I kicked her with it.

Eliza jumped over Zora and zapped her. Zora was then out like a light.

I got up. "What was that about?"

Eliza shrugged.

I helped her and Johnny pick up Zora and drag her into the couch in the living room. I looked at Sonny. "Better go back to the castle and get some chains just in case. Besides, the moon's coming up soon, Johnny's gonna be changing."

Sonny nodded, zoomed off, sped back in, chained up Zora, and stood next to Johnny in preparation to take him back to the castle for the changes. All in 0.34 seconds.

Eliza sighed. "What I don't get is why Zora didn't get taken from Xendalla's control when we mixed her blood with the Hunter's. It worked for Sonny, Tawni, Nico, and Grady. What, is it because she's the first one Xendalla caught?"

I then got what was going on. "No, it's because of me. _You _mixed the blood with the other 4. You counter Xendalla, I only overpower her. It's not the same. I don't have the ability to free Zora."

"And now we're all out of Hunter blood," Eliza finished for me.

Johnny suddenly grabbed his gut.

Eliza stopped Sonny from speeding him to the castle. "Wait…" She waved her hand over Zora's head. "I think I have an idea…"


	12. Eliza's Plan

Chapter 12: Eliza's Plan

**Sonny's POV**

I sped Jonathan up to an old warehouse-like building. Eliza had been able to scan enough of Zora's head to know where Xendalla was hiding with Chad. So we were going to let loose vicious wolf Jonathan on Xendalla and free Chad. The best part is that it was a full moon, so Wolf Jonathan would be extra fierce.

But while we were waiting on Jonathan to transform (which would definitely take a longer time and more pain than usual because…well, hello! Full moon!), Veronica looked at my mom who had driven us there and was preparing to, by orders from Eliza, go back to the apartment and lock the doors and windows until we came back so as to keep herself from danger. Veronica sighed. "I believe there was something you were going to tell me?"

Mom looked at her and sighed. "OK. I'll just come out with it…Sonny's father was a fantastic person. He really loved me and especially loved his precious little girl."

I half-smiled. Mom hardly ever talked about my dad. When she did, she always said good things about him…but it was hard to keep that up after what happened that day…

"Then, when Sonny was no older than 7, I woke up one morning to find a violet rose lying on his pillow and that he was gone. We haven't seem him since."

Eliza looked at her. "Wait…a violet rose?"

Mom nodded. She then proceeded to open a glove compartment in the car. She pulled out the mentioned violet rose. "I can't believe that…after everything we went through—"

"And everything you don't remember," Eliza added, snatching the rose.

"What?" Mom and I both asked.

"This is a Love's Light Rose. It appears Sonny's father was a Warlock."

Mom and I looked at each other in confusion.

"Wait a minute," said Mom, "You're saying I don't remember that my husband was a _WARLOCK_?"

Eliza shushed her, knowing that Xendalla could possibly hear any shouting. "Look…when a magic being really cares about someone and wants to protect them from something, they can gain access to a Love's Light Rose and completely erase any magically-involved memories to keep said loved ones out of the magic world and away from any dark danger. Obviously, Sonny's father really cared about the 2 of you and knew what Sonny would become and therefore wanted to keep you both out of the magic world until the time came that Sonny would have no choice but to reveal her power. The enchanter places a portion of their being in the rose so that the magic will spread when the enchanter's loved ones touch it and it'll erase any memory of theirs that could possibly involve magic—or, at the very least, conform them to eliminate magic properties. But it comes at a cost: to completely keep them safe, _all _magic must be taken from their lives—except, of course, any magic they may themselves have—so the enchanter must leave their lives for good."

Mom and I processed this.

"Mr. Munroe must have really cared about you 2 and wanted to keep you away from some horrible evil—the Hunters if at best. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such precautions and swooped to such levels. And the magic wouldn't have affected the 2 of you at all if it wasn't true love he felt towards you."

I granted my Mom a smile.

Mom half-smiled back, understanding Eliza's full meaning.

Veronica looked at Tawni, Grady, and Nico. "I take it there may be similar stories going on for Tawni's dad and Grady and Nico's moms."

"And Zora's dad," Jonathan added, lying on the ground, half in pain and half to sit next to still chained Zora (yeah, we took her; we weren't leaving her alone in my apartment when she could wake up at any time!).

"What makes you say that?" Tawni asked.

"Well," said Eliza, "the truth is…you guys could only possibly be mutants like this if you had half-magic blood at least. So your missing parents must be magic in some way."

Our whole team had to process that one (except Zora, who was still unconscious).

"Wow," I said.

Veronica nodded. "I know it's a big change to deal with…"

I couldn't hear her. I instead saw, with my psychic senses, someone on the roof of a building down the street…aiming a crossbow at V!

"…but…" That's when Veronica's Vampire hearing picked up the twang of the bow.

"GET DOWN!" Veronica and I both cried, pulling everyone to the ground before the bolt from the crossbow could hit any of us.

"I think we just found a way to get Zora loose," said Johnny. We all looked in the direction the arrow had come from to see that, indeed, there was a Hunter on that building. Suddenly, Johnny started groaning louder. He was finally going full into the changes.

I looked at Mom. "Go! Now!"

Mom, without hesitation, scrambled up from the ground and jumped into the car. She started preparing to leave but the car wouldn't start.

Suddenly, Wolf Jonathan jumped onto the hood of the car.

You guessed it: Mom screamed.

Without thinking twice, Veronica jumped him, knocking him off the car and into the street.

Eliza got up and started pounding on the car door. "Go! Go!"

"It won't start!" Mom shouted back.

Eliza quickly zapped the motor to get it to start up. It worked. The car instantly started. "You can thank me later!" Eliza said, urging my mom to leave immediately.

Mom nodded and raced off as fast as she could.

Veronica was still trying to withhold Wolf Jonathan long enough for us to kick our plan into action so we could deal with the oncoming Hunters. It wasn't working so well. Finally, Wolf Jonathan swiped at her. Veronica quickly dodged the attack and tuck-and-rolled out of the way. Wolf Jonathan then proceeded to race for the Hunter that was preparing to shoot at him. With silver bullets.

Veronica caught sight of this. "Don't let him waste his energy going after the Hunters! It'll give them a clearer shot at him and it'll wear him out and keep him from Xendalla!"

Tawni thought fast. She quickly used her star-shooting power to take 5 stars from the night sky and turn them into blades. She threw them, from the building Xendalla was in, at Wolf Jonathan, purposely missing by an inch. Wolf Jonathan then whirled around, snarling and growling, and turned his attack for Tawni. Tawni waited until he was close enough and used her attention-shifting power to avert his rage at Xendalla and the building she was in.

Wolf Jonathan switched his attack to said building and barked at the door ferociously, knocking it down and jumping into the building.

Sure enough, Xendalla was inside with Chad chained to the wall. "Well, lookee here. The doggie came to play."

Wolf Jonathan snarled at her and jumped.

Xendalla zapped him back into the wall, knocking him down and out. "I am merely being awakened to my true power. And it's all because of you."

We all heard that raced into the building.

"Say what now?" Liz asked.

I then remembered what she'd said in my dream. _"This is all _your _fault. You brought me here. It's because of you that I am free. And for that you will pay dearly." _Suddenly, my whole dream made sense. Her killing the Hunter = her killing the Mackenzie Falls cast. My team disappearing = her taking their minds. Zora turning on me = Zora becoming Xendalla's slave entirely. Zora and Xendalla ripping out my heart = kidnapping Chad and threatening to kill him. For it was at the moment I lost him that I realized how much I truly felt for him. The only part of my dream that didn't make complete sense yet was Xendalla's monologue.

Xendalla smirked. "See, I was awakened in the wrong time because of my stupid slave. But I get it now: you guys are the ones who really brought me here. When the Hunters overtook you, it brought out a whole new side to this whole planet just because of your existence. Let alone the way you fight this world's evil. Every one of those creatures you fight has essence that contributed to my awakening. But most of all, by awakening _your_ power, you gave me a gateway to _my_ power. Your whole beings changed that night and the surge of power resulting from that coursed together and somehow into the whole Underworld. Who knows what repercussions that caused. But it did notify my 'servant' that the Merlin line had changed completely and that it was now or never to wake me up."

"Wait, so…" Veronica pieced it together, "You're saying that because we woke up the only living virtuous mutants so we could wipe out the Hunters, the Underworld was aroused?"

"Yeah. Think it over. The Hunters may be careless and bloodthirsty and downright evil—like me—but they wipe out the competition. By slaying all those _evil _Vampires, they save dozens of human lives even if at the cost of pure insanity to the hidden magic realm of this world. Which means they're both good and bad. And sticking yourselves to the good side, even if you are truly good, makes you just a little bit too hard to be virtuous."

We had to think that over. But she was right. The Hunters were _**enormously**_ evil, but they were technically saving a lot of lives by wiping out the _bad _magic creatures _as well as_ the _good _ones. So siding ourselves against them and the entire Underworld was too hard on the magic balance and it resulted in the need for an even worse evil to arise, even if it was 900 years after her appropriated time. Worded correctly, it _was _technically our fault that she was here.

"And now," said Xendalla, "I have everything I need to—"

That's when an arrow pierced the wall beside her.

We all looked at the wall to see it breaking open and a large group of Hunters coming in.

"Oh boy, that's not good," said Nico.

"Wait! I got this!" Grady, using his toontown power, whipped out a button and hit it.

We all heard the whistle heard in cartoons when a large and heavy object falls from the sky down to earth and a piano came out of nowhere and fell on half the Hunters. Then a safe hit the rest of them.

"Told you that power would come in handy someday," said Grady, "Ooh! Watch!" He took out a banana cream pie and threw it at Xendalla hitting her hard.

She glared at him, her hair splattered with pie filling. "OK. You _really _need to work on your attacks."

Grady just gestured to the floor below her.

Xendalla looked down. There was a cartoon-style bomb lying there. "Oh, nuts."

Suddenly, the whole building blew.

[Here, imagine a sound effect bubble labeled "BOOM!"]

Xendalla made all the rubble go flying with a wave of her hand.

Everyone got up. No one had been injured. Unfortunately, that also made the Hunters, still-controlled Zora, and Wolf Jonathan get up with no restrictions. And yet, oddly enough, Chad was still chained down and beaten. Uh oh.

Xendalla shook her head. "Brace yourselves, kiddos. Looks like you got a big fight ahead of you."


	13. Biggest Fight Yet

Chapter 13: Biggest Fight Yet

**Veronica's POV**

I had barely processed this whole ordeal by the time the fight was coming on. Zora was being controlled by this evil creature. Eliza and I were the only things that stood in her way. Sonny, Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora were all half-blooded magic creatures. Sonny's father had wiped her memory and her mother's of anything magic, leaving us with the reality that there could be almost half of their lives we were missing. Jonathan was in all-out wolf form and didn't appear to be going back any time soon. The Hunters had found us and taken a whole pack of them. Chad had been tortured for hours and wasn't likely to survive the night. And worst of all…it was our fault that Xendalla was there. Indirectly (it was mostly the fault of the Hunters for upsetting the balance), of course, but still!

As if this all wasn't enough, I had to receive the first blow of the fight. In fact, I was so out of it from all that had taken place in the past hour alone that I didn't even see it coming and it hit me hard. One of the Hunters had managed to send a crossbow bolt flying at me and hit me in the chest just shy of my heart. I was sent flying backwards and fell to the floor, half-conscious from the shock. The wood didn't pierce my heart enough to kill me, but it was close enough to do some major internal damage, maybe even crack a rib bone at the speed it'd dug in.

"V!" I barely heard Eliza cry out for me.

Suddenly, something happened. I don't know what it was. As if in an instant, my whole life (and death) was going by in my mind. My family and friends and everything before my turning. The night I was changed. Every person I ever killed. That fateful night I killed the Hunter's sister. The night I was given my soul. The night I was cursed. The day I met Eliza and Jonathan. The day I met Sonny and the others. The day Xendalla rose. And finally, now.

It occurred to me that your life is supposed to flash before your eyes in the moments before death, but I wasn't dying. The bolt hadn't hit me close enough to my heart, it'd hit…wait a minute…

The impact must have cracked a bone, which pierced a lung, which somehow caused a chain reaction inside me that in a fraction of a second cut into my heart. I was the first Vampire to ever be staked with her own bone. Due to this change in pace, I wasn't dying, but something was happening that was very close…

I tried to hold out a hand and call out for Eliza. But, for some reason, I couldn't move. And whatever voice I let out was lost in the wind. Something was happening. Something was wrong. This wasn't supposed to be happening!

_Fear not, dear child…I am with you…_

I opened my eyes and found myself in a misty wilderness in a place I'd never seen before. As if out of nowhere, I was filled with this great knowledge and I knew exactly where I was: the Great Nowhere, the realm of the dark angels, the place where only dreamers and lost souls can reach. Yet I was there.

"Hello?" I called out into the icy nothingness. No noise resonated from me. I heard my voice, but the only echo of it I heard outside my own body was a faint whisper that seemed to fade out in the distance a mile away.

_Peace, dear child of darkness…you are not alone here…_ Suddenly, a young blonde woman with sparklingly hypnotic blue eyes appeared for me, arrayed in a lovely white gown and a silver tiara. _I am here… _The voice came from, yet I did not see her speak. It was as if her thoughts were heard by everyone and her words by not even a few.

"Who are you?" I asked into nothing once more. Still no sound came away from my throat, as if it caught in my mouth and refused to escape.

_You may attempt to speak but you will find nothing…talk as I talk with you…for you are lost with me in the cold land of ice dreams…the Great Nowhere…_

_What's happening? _I thought. Suddenly, I heard that echoing throughout the abyss, as her messages to me did.

_Very good…you have learned to speak with me…this is all you may do here…but if you frequent this place as I have…you'll find it home…_

_Who are you? What's going on? Where am I?_

_Questions, questions…so many questions…very well, I will answer…you are in a land beyond comprehension or description…the land of nothing…_

_The Realm of Eternal Nothing?_

_No, no…you have come of the good, not bad…you are no ordinary lost soul…_

_So I came here willingly? Funny, I don't remember that._

_You wouldn't…you're not one of us…_

_And who's that?_

She smirked. _I think you know…_

I thought it over, not thinking out loud in the meantime. Then it hit me. _You're one of the Nevers…_

Suddenly, her thoughts were more even than misty, as if the realization of her identity gave way to her brain and allowed her to communicate more effectively: _Correct. One of the many who died and were forced to guard and guide the protectors._

_So what are you… _That's when I understood it all. _I'm a protector?_

_You and all of your friends. You're destined to protect the innocents of the magic realm and the mortals of the normal. Ignore what Xendalla said; the balance is finicky and her rising was not your fault, indirectly or otherwise._

_Well, fine, but…but…I'm…_

_Shannon? Taya? Veronica? Come on, Shanny. Who are you truly?_

I looked at her in confusion. _"Shanny"? But only one person ever called me…_ I instantly traded my confusion for shock as I looked at her harder. Ever part of her reminded me too much of someone else, someone I hadn't seen in two centuries and didn't think I'd ever see again. My sister. _Gracie?_

She smiled and nodded, tearfully. _I told you I'd never leave you. And I never will. _She took out a necklace and wrapped it around my neck. _With this, you can call me whenever you need me and so much more. Trust me, you will discover its secrets._

_But—_

_As to how you arrived here and to me, I believe you should know that your curse is responsible._

_My curse?_

_The Hunters' magicks are uncontrollable and will fade in an instant in favor of the person they were cast on, once the spell has been endured for a long enough time and for the right reasons. You, Eliza, and Jonathan are the only ones who have ever yet reached that far. When your bone pierced your heart, you were put through something no other Vampire has ever gone through. See, the magicks of the curse have entangled themselves inside you around your heart, only to be broken by love or death, the two most powerful fates in the world. When you tore the binds, you released that magic into your core. The same two powers will still affect you, but you need not worry about anything else. The curse is mixing with the magic that was already inside you…and whatever happens from now on depends on how you use that power._

_But…but I—_

_Veronica! I am sorry but you must go now! Your friends need you to fight with them! GO!_

Suddenly, I awoke exactly where I'd left. I looked around to see everyone fighting and fighting away. It appeared as though I'd been out for over a half hour rather than 30 minutes. Was it possible I'd been knocked out and had imagined the whole thing? But it was at that moment that I looked down and discovered something to discredit that whole theory: I wore the necklace my sister, Grace the Never, had given me.

**Eliza's POV**

As if it wasn't bad enough that we were the reason Xendalla was there, Veronica had to get knocked out almost instantly, thus costing us our strongest and our best chance.

"V!" I cried, racing to her side. I instantly realized my mistake when one of the Hunters aimed for me next and Xendalla took advantage of my break from the group to start attacking. Without giving it a second thought, I held up a shield spell, which Tawni quickly added to. But the shield, while strong enough to deflect the arrows the Hunters sent flying, couldn't hold up against Xendalla and Zora's powers put together. When my spell cracked, I was sent flying backward, past the rubble of the building we'd collapsed and across the street into a brick wall. I'll just say it: OW! But I still pulled myself together enough to get up and keep fighting. I looked at Grady. "Grady!" I held out my hand.

Grady snatched my hand and blended some of his powers with mine to create an entirely new attack, something we didn't normally do unless the fight was serious enough.

But before our powers could combine from contact, Wolf Jonathan jumped in front of me.

Grady prepared to fight back—

"Don't!" I said, "Johnny's still in there!" I looked at the wolf in front of me. "You're still in there…" I looked at those blood red eyes that stared back at me.

Suddenly, the wolf growled. It lurched back and forth as if something invisible was attacking it. It clenched its eyes shut and started snarling harder…did it sound like he growled something about Zora? Finally, the wolf just collapsed. It stood up on all-fours and looked at me…but when it opened its eyes, they were green. They were Jonathan's. The wolf looked at me for a second and then turned around to go after Zora. He jumped past Xendalla and onto Zora, wrestling her down and attacking. He was trying to force her out, to free her, or at least to hold her down until…until I could spike her with Hunter blood!

Jonathan not only had control of his wolf form, he had a perfect plan to let Zora out!

But I couldn't get to a blade or a Hunter, let alone lure them over to Zora to stab them both.

Then it hit me. Grady's powers were always enhanced by mine way more than the others could get…so what would happen if we not only combined our powers temporarily but joined them together until the fight was over? It was risky, but I wasn't in the mood to skip a chance.

I looked at Grady. "Grady! …give me your hands."

He looked at me. "Hands, plural? As in both of them?"

"It's our only shot! If we can pull our powers together enough, we can take down the Hunters and Xendalla and free Zora! But we have to do it now!"

"Liz, I'm not so sure—"

"We have to! It's the only chance we have to get through the next 10 minutes, let alone survive the night! …Grady, please…for me…"

Grady looked at me.

I looked back at him.

There was something about him…something in his eyes…those perfect eyes…he was just so…well, dorky, but in such a way that… Well, let's just say that I was looking at him in a whole new light.

In this moment, this perfect moment in the full moonlight, he held out both his hands for me.

I smiled and carefully joined my hands with his.

Suddenly, I lost my senses. My mind was entirely focused on him.

Even though I hadn't done my part yet, the spell jumped in. The light coming from our hands caught my attention away from him and pulled it down. The light wasn't blue, it was pink. It was usually blue. It occurred to me that it was probably an effect of the fact that we were using both hands instead of just one, but that still didn't make any sense. It didn't feel like that was the answer. It felt like…like something had changed between us. Before I could question this, the spell turned pure white and surrounded us in a way it'd never done before.

When the spell faded, everything was different.

There was Grady. He seemed the same. Yet, there was something so different. He wasn't the same and probably never would be again. I'd Touched him.

Wait…but that meant that he'd Touched me. Did that mean he felt the same way about me that I felt about him? Come to think of it…what exactly was that feeling?

Before I could question it further, I heard something. I looked and saw V waking up. "V!"

Veronica looked at me. I could tell something was wrong. The first thought that came to me was that she wasn't wearing that necklace when she was knocked out. The next thought I got hit with was that she was looking at me as though she'd seen an entirely different person even though she knew it was me. "Eliza?"

I wondered what was wrong with her. Then I looked down at a puddle of water in the street and saw my reflection. I was wearing a white gown and silver tiara I'd never seen before and sported glowing white wings not unlike Grady's wings. But what really caught my attention was the ring on my finger, the pink and gold ring with the silvery-white, star-shaped diamond. I'd seen that ring before. It belonged to my grandmother, the one I now knew to be the last descendant of the Merlin line before me. She called it the Ring of Merlin.

_It belongs to the most powerful of the Merlin line, _her words echoed in my head, _One day, this could be yours._

So that was it. Somehow, Grady had awakened a power in me that made me the strongest left of the Merlin line. And in the midst of this, his power had blended with mine. With that thought in mind, I focused hard to make the wings on my back fade out. And I quickly went to work. We had a fight to win.

**Jonathan's POV**

I don't understand. I don't know how it happened. It just…happened. I had control over my wolf form. It made no sense! It wasn't supposed to happen!

All I know is that I was fighting my teeth out and then I suddenly came to well before the sunrise. My mind was in my body hours early. This great sense came over me as if my life was a dream and I'd finally come awake. All my memories swirled inside me until finally I was collected into somewhere I'd never been since the day I first turned.

I was inside my true form.

I was no ordinary Werewolf anymore.

Something had changed me and now I had control.

Before I could realize what had happened, before I could figure out how my last thought before the change—my thoughts of Zora—could possibly have combated the wolf enough to let me in again, I saw through the wolf's eyes.

I saw Eliza standing before me. She wasn't looking in fear, but in shock and confusion. She knew it was me.

But I couldn't linger with Liz. Zora was here somewhere. I turned back to see her standing there, a ways away from Xendalla. This was my shot. I glanced back at Eliza for a second to warn her what my plan was (for no words could escape in my present form) and jumped at Zora, knocking her down and pinning her there. She fought me, of course, but I kept her down, digging my claws into her arms when necessary. But her pain was my pain. I felt her, not in her body, but waiting for me to save her.

_Johnny…_

I growled at the monster in front of me, the one that was keeping my Zora from me. Suddenly, I didn't feel so bad about hurting her, knowing it wasn't the girl I cared so much for, and I freely scratched at her abdomen, practically slicing it open.

I looked around as I tried to keep her down. There were Hunters everywhere, but Eliza wasn't attacking any of them, let alone getting them over to Zora to free her.

I turned my attention behind me to see what was keeping her and saw her there with Grady. They were joining their powers together to strengthen them through the fight, something they did frequently when battle got bad (but not too often, since it was somewhat draining on them and a little too fierce for any small fight) and could never even attempt with anyone else. But the light of their spell wasn't blue this time…it was the color of love. In an instant, the light turned white and engulfed them. When it faded, they were both Touched. And Eliza was nothing like she'd been before.

I heard a slight groaning noise and turned to see Veronica there. She'd been unconscious but now was coming to. I then noticed that she wore a necklace I'd never seen before. But before I could let that thought sink in too far, Eliza jumped into the fight.

Suddenly, something kneed me in the gut. I looked down at the Zora in front of me, the one who wasn't actually Zora. I growled and snapped at her to warn her to back off, still pinning her down.

_Johnny…_

Why was her voice in my head? Then I understood. My curse had changed… _Zora?_

_Johnny…are you there? I need you! It's dark and cold…and I'm lost and alone…and scared…please come find me!_

_I will! _I called back to her, _I will always find you! _It was at that moment that I knew. I knew why my form had changed. I was falling for Zora…and my last thoughts of her had altered my transformations…and made me not a real Werewolf but a shape-shifter. My curse was half-broken. Theoretically, I was human again.

Finally, even if intruding on my thoughts, Eliza raced up, knocked down a Hunter, and ran a blade through his heart and Zora's.

Zora's empty body thrashed and flailed as the curse came after her.

_Johnny! What's happening?_

_You're breaking loose! We're getting you out!_

_No! You're not! It's getting darker…I'm lost…they'll hear you…Johnny! Are you there? JOHNNY!_

_ZORA! _Suddenly, I was howling out in pain. Pain of the heart. I was losing her! I couldn't let that happen! I jumped at the Hunter that was supposed to bring her back and attacked him in frustration, practically ripping him to shreds, until, finally, I reverted back to my human form. I was human again. And it wasn't sunrise yet. I'd just done it. I found myself collapsed on top of Zora, our hearts pressed together. I could hear mine beating, but hers was cold and distant as if any beats that remained refused to awaken. "No…please don't leave me…" I clung to her, holding her tighter.

"Johnny?"

I looked at her.

She was awake!

"Zora!" I held her tight.

"Johnny!" She hugged me back, half-crying. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. It was hers. And I'm gonna make her pay."

She looked at me, smiling. "You found me."

I smiled back. "I told you I would."

At that moment, everything changed.

**Tawni's POV**

I fought as hard as I could. The fight started, really started, the moment my shield cracked. Eliza was sent tumbling down the street, but I was knocked to the ground, half-conscious. I closed my eyes and panted. Luckily, I regained my senses and my eyesight soon enough to see a Hunter coming at me with a very large sword. I quickly yelped and rolled out of the way. I then, panicking, used my powers to send several star-blades at him, which did a good job of beating him up.

I instantly went to fighting as hard as I could, but I just kept getting weaker. Nobody had been able to break one of my shields before (especially one I cast with Eliza's help) and I now knew that it weakened me beyond belief when they did. I couldn't pull myself together enough to fight head-on, I had to keep using my powers. But that just made me weaker. It occurred to me to use my healing on myself, but it wasn't as strong on myself as it was on other people and it was, therefore, a power that would only weaken me further. Not a good choice for this juncture.

The way I saw it, I had a few choices:

give it up and bug out of there.

keep fighting long enough to kill myself.

ask Eliza for a power boost or Veronica for a jumpstart.

Only problems were:

I couldn't in the right mind desert my friends.

I wasn't gonna risk killing myself, especially when so many people needed me.

Eliza was beaten and bruised and boosting Grady, and Veronica was unconscious.

I could see the fight was going south for more than just me. Every single one of us was in trouble. I could even see Jonathan getting ready to attack Eliza! …wait…did he just stop? Did he just switch targets? Was he going for Zora? This could only mean one thing: Jonathan had somehow found a way to gain control over his wolf form! He must have messed with his curse and made himself a shape-shifter!

Maybe the fight wasn't all downhill. After all, look at Eliza and Grady's spell—pink? Wasn't the light usually blue? Either way, it turned white…and neither of them were the same after that.

Finally, Veronica woke up…sporting a necklace I'd never seen before. Man, what was going on?

Before I could come to my senses about any of this, let alone keep fighting, one of the Hunters jumped at me. He grabbed me and held up a knife—

"TAWNI!" Suddenly, the Hunter was struck down by…a bunch of chains?

I quickly grabbed the dagger and plunged it into the Hunter's heart, making sure he wouldn't get back up. I then turned to see who had saved me. "Chad?"

Chad smiled, lying on the ground. He was chainless now, but still too weak and beaten to stand up. Still, he nodded.

"You're helping us?"

"I have to…you're my friends."

I smiled.

"Just keep fighting, Sonny needs you."

I instantly went back to work. Suddenly, I was glad Chad was on the team. He really was our friend.

**Nico's POV**

From right off the bat, I just knew we couldn't win. Veronica was knocked out. Eliza was getting weaker. Grady was worried about Eliza. I could see Tawni draining herself. Jonathan was all-out wolf. Chad was in no condition to help at the moment. Sonny was too focused on Chad to fight such a big battle. Zora was still being controlled. And as to me? Well, let's just say that Grady was a bit caught up and I was a little worried about him so…long story short, a Hunter had me pinned in like 12 seconds.

I thought fast. There had to be something I could do! That's when it hit me. No, really, he hit me. For that he must pay! I quickly did the one thing I could do: used my all-you-can-eat power…and bit him. In fact, with the whole reinforced teeth thing going on, I think I partially gnawed through some of his bone.

While the Hunter was weak, I kicked him back and went right into the fight. Laser vision…a checkpoint every time I was about to get hit…let's just say the fight was a bit more in our favor when I took down one of the Hunters! Ha ha!

Then again, that was also the exact moment that Grady got a power boost, V came to, Eliza took on full magic, and Jonathan got control…but let's just say I did it.

**Grady's POV**

Everything was weird from the moment Veronica got knocked out and Eliza's shield crack. Eliza's shields never crack, let alone break entirely, especially when Tawni was using her powers as a reinforcement! But things got especially weird the very minute Eliza suggested we put our powers together. I barely even paid attention to anything other than her, even when Jonathan was getting ready to gnaw us like a couple of chew toys. All I could look at was her. That perfect golden hair, those beautiful eyes—oh, stop it, Grady! You don't like her like that! …or do you? I mean, isn't it weird how we were never able to put our powers together with anyone besides each other? Or how we were always stronger together? Or how the mere thought of her was one of the few things that seemed to be able to break me or strengthen me? It was all her. She was always in my mind. Always the thing that made me something more.

These very thoughts ran through me while we finally put our powers together in a way we'd never done before: all at once. Our energies poured into each other, melding together, creating the pink light of the spell—wait, pink? Wasn't it usually blue?

Before I could question this, the light turned pure white and took over. I just didn't feel the same. Nothing was the same. I felt…different…stronger…more powerful…like there was some sort of magic just entirely taking me over. It was as if part of Eliza's power had become part of me.

But this was nothing compared to what happened to Eliza. She was perfectly normal until the light took her. She came out just transformed. Way different. And let's just say the fight was far more in our favor after this little epidemic.

And as to me and Eliza and our feelings for each other…let's just say that that night changed everything for us.

**Zora's POV**

I'd been trapped in the darkness for over a week. It was taking me over, consuming me. But just when I thought all was lost, that I'd be lost forever in that icy cold darkness…he found me. I felt him coming for me.

"Johnny?" I called out for him, "Johnny! Help!" It didn't seem like he heard everything I was saying, so I just kept calling, hoping he'd hear me beyond the binds of the force that was taking me. What else could I do but keep calling? "JOHNNY!"

_Zora?_

He'd heard me! He'd heard me and he was calling back! "Johnny!" There wasn't an answer. "Are you there? Please, I need you! It's dark and cold…and I'm lost and alone and scared…please come find me."

_I will! I will always find you!_

Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my chest and screamed in pain. No! I was too far gone! They couldn't be doing this… I looked at my wounded chest to see it bleeding out. Something was wrong. "Johnny!" I screamed for him, crying, "What's happening?"

I couldn't hear him the same. I could just barely make something about breaking me out. The blood escape! No, it'd been too long, Veronica had interfered, it wasn't gonna work the same now!

"No! You're not!" Suddenly, the darkness was closing in on me. Their plan hadn't worked. I was fading out. "It's getting darker! NO! No, Johnny, please help!" I tried to run away from it, but there was nowhere to go. "I'm lost! Please help me! Get me out!" I looked around, hearing something. The dark creatures were coming to stake their claim. "They'll hear you… NO! Johnny! Are you there? JOHNNY!"

_ZORA!_

Suddenly, there was a light shining through. I could feel it. _He_ was letting me out. It was him all along, all I needed. He was my last chance. I seized the opportunity to get out of that darkness and found myself lying in the center of a pile of rubble that had been a building.

Jonathan was lying on top of me. I skipped right over the fact that he was in human form in full moonlight (after all, he couldn't have possibly been contacting me in there if he hadn't manipulated his curse a little, so it wasn't exactly a complete shock) and went right on to the fact that he was there with me. He'd saved me.

I smiled, half-crying. "Johnny?"

He looked at me, smiling back. "Zora!"

Next thing I knew, we were clinging to each other. To be honest, the rest of the night's kind of a blur. All I remember is a flash of light…a deadly scream…and me in Johnny's arms…

**Sonny's POV**

To be honest, the fight was sort of a blur until Eliza's spell jumped in. Suddenly, everything changed. Instantly, V and Liz and I quickly went to work on a Hunter to get out Zora. Finally, Eliza was able to get a Hunter cornered and drop him close enough to Zora to stab them both through the heart. No doubt, she'd be free in an instant. Suddenly, Johnny was attacking the Hunter, turning back to his human form hours early, and meeting a waking Zora with his warm embrace. They were together again. No doubt, that was their true home.

But the happiness was sort of short-lived. I was tired of messing with this all. Finally, I used my super strength and stomped on the ground, sending the rubble flying everywhere and practically paralyzing everyone who was fighting. I then proceeded to use my super speed to grab all the Hunters' weapons and fling them at them to slay them. Suddenly, it didn't seem like I was going in fast motion but that everyone and everything else was going in slow motion. I seized the moment and completely took the fight. In less than a few minutes (well, technically, it was really a few seconds), I had all the Hunters out.

All that was left was Xendalla.

And Eliza and Veronica could easily have that out of the way in a very short while.

Xendalla stood there, shaking her head and glaring at her two defeaters. "So this is it? Me? Defeated by two teenage girls?"

"Actually, we're both over 100 years old," Eliza commented.

"Look, sweetie, I'm not gonna let you guys take me out. I'll have what I came here for if I have to kill you all! I'm gonna take this world if it's the last I do!" Suddenly, she sent a bolt of at Eliza and Veronica, knocking them both back. Xendalla wasn't herself after that. She was so much more vile and vicious and…well, just overall powerful. "This is where it ends!"

Veronica got up. "No! This is!" She started at her with a dagger—

Xendalla grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet, which would've started choking her had she still been alive. "I don't think so. I'm not gonna let you stop me. All I need is that blood and my full power gets to a new extent. That's right, I've reached my full power. And all I need to hold it is that Hunter boy's blood. Too bad, you're too late. The Witch can't stop me now."

"No," said Veronica, "But the 'blood-demon born of a full moon' can."

"Yeah, too bad there's no such Vampire at the moment."

Veronica shook her head. "Oh, but there is. And I'm afraid she's got you right now!" She quickly grabbed the dagger with her feet and stabbed Xendalla in the chest with it.

Xendalla quickly dropped her and ripped the dagger out.

Veronica grabbed her and pushed her down, turning into her full Vamp mode as she did so and finally biting down into her.

Xendalla hit her to knock her back. "You'd take such a chance as to feed from me?"

Veronica smirked. "All part of the plan. Eliza! NOW!"

Eliza held up the hand that now bore a ring. Said ring glowed a golden white. She was doing a spell. "Everyone! Work fast!"

Without thinking, I grabbed Grady's hand. Grady grabbed Nico. Nico grabbed Johnny. Johnny grabbed Zora. Zora grabbed Tawni. Tawni grabbed Veronica. Suddenly, I felt something holding my free hand. I looked to see Chad lying there. I smiled at him and he quickly smiled back. Veronica finally took Eliza's hand.

With all of us joined together, our energy flowing into one another, Eliza held up her spell high. Suddenly, it was sparking energy like crazy, turning all gold then all white and back and forth—within a short while, the spell seemed to take us over. Its glow kept growing until it finally seemed to consume all nine of us. When it faded, it worked its true magic. We were enjoined together, a bond never to be broken. Our power was all-at-once now.

Eliza smirked at Xendalla. "Now what? Your move."

Xendalla growled and moved to attack.

Eliza simply send a lightning bolt at her with Zora's power. She smiled. "Liking the new together thing."

I smiled. "Happy to be included."

Veronica approached Xendalla. "Now where were we?"

OK, after that, the fight got a little graphic so I kind of had to make sure everyone else turned away.

Suddenly, I heard a scream. I turned back around to see Xendalla with Veronica's knife in her throat. She cried out in agony, her eyes glowing white, until finally she began to fade out. Her skin cracked, her eyes turned from white to black, and her screams turned to distant howls. Finally, in a flash of light she was gone, her spells to permanently die.

It was over.

We were free.

"We won!" I exclaimed giddily, "We've won! Chad, can you believe it? We—" I cut myself off when I turned around to look at Chad. He lay there, unmoving. I walked over to him. "Chad, get up, we…" I looked closer as I got closer. Finally, I knelt down beside him. "Chad?" I grievingly pressed my hand to his chest. All I felt was cold. No heartbeat. He was gone. "Chad! No! No, come back! Come back to me! Please!"

V walked up to me. "Sonny…I'm sorry, but…I think he's—"

"No! No, I won't let it happen!"

"Sonny—"

"I have the power to bring him back! And I'm gonna do it!"

Veronica instantly realized what I meant. "No! Sonny, you can't! Someone would have to die to account for it!"

I nodded. "I know." I leaned over Chad's body and pressed myself against him. I spread my power into him. Within a few seconds, I felt his body heat rising. He was coming back. I smiled past the tears and leaned down to kiss him. I kissed him. There was so much love and passion inside me I seemed to be lost there. Before I could pull myself away, I felt him pull me in. He was back. He was _kissing me_ back. It was at that moment, I knew we were in love. I knew how much he felt for me. And with that thought in my head…I took my last breath and collapsed…

**Chad's POV**

I don't know what happened to me. I was lost somewhere dark, waiting to be found. But it happened. Sonny found me. Within a few seconds, she was kissing me. Then suddenly, it stopped.

I open my eyes and look around, breathing heavily. When my vision finally settles, what happened sinks in. I'm instantly sitting up and looking around harder to make sure everyone's OK.

Veronica is fine. She looks as if she's had the snot beaten out of her, but she's intact (except for her chest wound from the earlier broke rib bone, which should probably be checked out).

Eliza is just altogether different. She's not the same person. She's a much more powerful Witch and a much stronger girl just in general. Strongest of her kind.

Jonathan is normal. Normal. The sun's not up yet. I smile when what happened hits me. He's come through the changes somehow. He's human again. Or at least he's become a half-canine shape-shifter of some sort.

Tawni is incredibly weak from what I can tell is a wearing out of her powers. But it's nothing time and training can't fix.

Nico has obviously been through a lot tonight. I'll say no more.

Grady is different, like Eliza. He's been Touched, I just know it. In fact, I sort of feel like we all have, in a way. Because Eliza is what joins us together, binds us as a team, especially after what she's just done to put our powers together. None of us are ever gonna be the same, Eliza, Veronica, Jonathan, and Grady specifically.

And Zora is back to her old self. Xendalla is dead, so Zora is no longer under her control. She's her own self again.

But Sonny…Sonny's not there.

"Sonny?"

"Chad…" Eliza says, pitifully.

I follow her gaze and see the problem. Sonny is lying right next to me, beaten and bruised. And dead. "No! Sonny! Sonny, wake up! Speak to me! Sonny!"

"Exactly like her, I see," Tawni says. I look at her, wondering what she means. "She said the exact same thing when she saw you like that. She just couldn't let you leave, knowing what you'd have to go through, passing through a Hunters' death, an in-between Lost Existence. She couldn't let that happen."

I realize what happened. Sonny's life for a life power. She sacrificed herself to save me. I look at her and gently stroke her hair. She can't be gone forever, she just can't. "No. No, there has to be a way…"

"Chad, I'm sorry," said Veronica, "But the only person who could possibly bring her back now is the one that's already dead."

It occurs to me then what I have to do. What little Hunter power I have… "That's not true. I can do it."

"Say what?"

Before she can object, I grab a dagger. I press my left hand against Sonny's right and stab the knife through them. As our blood starts mixing, I lean myself against her and finally lay on top of her, pressing my heart against hers. That's when I proceed to start kissing her.

Suddenly, the magic light of what I'm doing surrounds us, practically sweeping around the others. Granted, I don't see this because my eyes are closed, immersing me in the kiss with Sonny, but I still knew what was happening.

I know it's worked when I feel Sonny kissing me back. In an instant, we're locked together, intertwined in the kiss until it seems the whole world has faded away from us.

After an eternity that seemed to pass all too soon, Sonny finally pulled away. "Chad…"

"Sonny…" I replied, smiling as I pressed myself against her.

"Could you do something for me?"

"Yeah?" I asked, eagerly, ready for whatever she might ask.

"Could you take the dagger out of our hands?"

I then realize that the knife is still there. "Oh, right, sorry." I quickly reach over and pry out the blade.

From that night on, nothing was the same…


	14. Aftermath

Chapter 14: Aftermath

(Jonas Brothers' "Things Will Never Be the Same" plays in background)

_Yeah-eh_

_Yeah-eh-eh-eh_

_Yeah_

_Yeah_

_Oh-oh_

**Veronica's POV**

When Sonny and Chad were reunited like that, I cried. I actually cried. I could cry again. We must have eliminated the Hunters and messed with our curses more than we thought. I still had my soul but I could cry and sleep again.

_Yeah-eh_

_Yeah-eh-eh-eh_

_Yeah_

_Yeah_

_Oh-oh_

And every night in my dreams, which I so enjoyed, the necklace I couldn't take off would shimmer and work its magic. Every single night, I was reunited with my sister, Grace the Never.

_Try_

_To fall_

_Asleep tonight_

**Eliza's POV**

I knew we'd won, truly won our battles, when my heart began to beat again. It beat, I felt it beating! I was really alive again. Now I had proof to match what I felt when Grady was around.

_Lay_

_Awake_

_And dream of life_

_Where we thought we could make it_

Speaking of Grady, we never did find out what got our spell so pumping that night. It'd just happened.

_Wasted_

_All our time_

As to my new position as head of the Merlin line, I was ready for anything. My full form was always ready to come out when the time came, especially when I took advantage of the spell I'd used to put the Warriors (and Chad) together and join even our powers. We'd never be the same again.

_And I wouldn't_

_Change_

_A single thing_

_I know_

**Jonathan's POV**

Every night, the moon came up. Every night, I stayed a human.

_We get closer and closer again_

_But we're falling apart_

Everyday, I hung out with Zora. Everyday, I was reminded of how she'd broken my curse (or at least the thought of her had).

_I'm losing, you're losing a friend_

_It's always over before we start_

There was no doubt about it, Zora Lancaster had made me a new man…er, wolf. I was no regular Werewolf anymore, I had control. I was a human. I was me. Most importantly…I felt like I was in love.

_You're asking for love and I wish that it could be_

_The way that it was_

_But it's over, there's no one to blame_

_It'll never be the same_

**Tawni's POV**

That fight changed our lives. The Warriors were more than just cast-mates, teammates, and friends. We were a family. Our three new friends, Veronica the Vampire, Eliza the Witch, and Jonathan the Werewolf, had made sure of that.

_Two_

_Wrongs_

_Don't make it right_

From the day they came along, nothing was the same for any of us, especially the show itself and Sonny and Chad. We were together, a bond that couldn't be severed. The day we met sealed our fates and that was what made us what we are now: friends, family, and heroes.

_Two_

_Hearts_

_Are on the line_

**Nico's POV**

That night made me realize a few things about myself. I was a new person because of that. Our team was more than just a team and I was one of many factors that made up one big cast. A family.

_Baby, we could've made it_

_Had we waited_

_On this ride_

**Grady's POV**

Everything changed that night. I was Touched by Eliza's powers, I could do so much more than I had ever been able to before.

_In the end_

_I'm a friend_

_But that's all I am_

_To you, whoa-oh_

Eliza and I were never the same after that night. I think that night was when we realized…we were falling for each other. Hard.

**Zora's POV**

Johnny saved me. Jonathan Landers saved me. "I will always find you" he'd said. Well, he did. He always found me, he'd been finding me for months.

_We get closer and closer again_

_But we're falling apart_

Even when I was being controlled by Xendalla, he knew that I was there for him to come for. He knew how to find me and he did. He was my hero. More than that, he was friend. Maybe even something more…

_I'm losing, you're losing a friend_

_It's always over before we start_

**Sonny's POV**

Mom and I were together again. Eliza was helping us deal with our lost memories of Dad. The rest of the gang was coping with the fact that they'd lost parents in similar ways.

_You're asking for love and I wish that it could be_

_The way that it was_

_But it's over, there's no one to blame_

_It'll never be the same_

And most of all, Chad and I were together. Really together. We were in love, so in love. That night changed so much for us. Our team—our family…it would never be the same for us again.

_No, it'll never be the same_

_No, no_

_No, no_

**Chad's POV**

Sonny was everything to me. And I could tell I meant a lot to her, especially after she tried to save me from the Lost Existence that Hunters and their children had to go through. She risked everything to save me. And I, in turn, risked everything to save her. That's how I—and everyone else—could tell that we were perfect for each other, meant to be forever. Nothing could change that and nothing would.

_We get closer and closer again_

_But we're falling apart_

_I'm losing, you're losing a friend_

_It's always over before we start_

We were the kind of couple that live because of each other. And our little team…well, everything changed for us that night. And things were never the same.

_You're asking for love and I wished I'd believed you_

_But it's easy to see_

_That it's over, there's no one to blame_

_It'll never be the same_

_No, it'll never be the same_

_No, it'll never be the same_

_'Cause it's over, there's no one to blame_

_I'll never be the same_

_It's over, there's no one to blame_

_I'll never be the same_

_'Cause it's over, there's no one to blame_

_I'll never be the same_

_And it's over, there's no one to blame_

_I'll never be the same _

**THE END…?**

Yay, I finished it! Now, for the sake of my other stories, I won't do the next story in this series until at least 5 people ask for it. In the meantime, keep reading! See ya! :)


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